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Car Accident Help:
Your Rights and How to Get Help
Most car accident claims come down to three things: how badly you were hurt, who caused the crash and how quickly you act. This guide covers what a claim involves, what it can cover and how to reach an attorney who handles these cases. Easy Accident Help is free to use and is not a law firm.
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Overview
What a Car Accident Claim Involves
A car accident claim is a request for payment from whoever caused the crash, usually through their insurance company. You show what happened, you show what it cost you and the insurer either pays or argues. Most claims settle without anyone going to court.
The pieces that matter are the same almost everywhere. Medical records that start soon after the crash. Evidence about who did what. A record of the money you have lost. And a filing deadline, which varies by state and is often 2 to 3 years from the date of the crash, though it can be far shorter when a government vehicle is involved.
- Medical records
- Evidence and fault
- Filing deadline
What a car accident claim involves
Accident happens
Evidence is collected
Claim is submitted
Insurer reviews
Settlement or legal action
Worth knowing
You do not have to decide anything today. A free case review tells you whether you have a claim worth pursuing, and talking to an attorney does not commit you to hiring one.
Scenarios
What Counts as a Car Accident Claim
Rear-end collisions
The most common crash on the list. The driver behind is usually found at fault, though not always, which is why the police report and any dashcam footage matter.
Intersection and T-bone crashes
Side impacts at lights and junctions. Fault usually turns on who had the green or the right of way, so witnesses and signal timing can decide the claim.
Head-on collisions
Less common and more severe. These often involve a driver crossing a center line, and injuries tend to be serious enough that future care costs become central.
Multi-vehicle pileups
Several drivers, several insurers and a fight over who is at fault. Fault often gets split across more than one party, which makes early evidence valuable.
Distracted driving
Phone use, GPS, eating, reaching into the back. Phone records and vehicle data can sometimes show what the driver was doing in the seconds before impact.
Drunk or drugged driving
A criminal case can run alongside your claim, and the evidence gathered there often helps. Some states also allow a claim against whoever served the driver.
Single-vehicle crashes count too. If a tire failed, a road was badly maintained or a part was defective, the claim may be against a manufacturer or a public body rather than another driver.
Injuries
Common Car Accident Injuries
Some of these show up at the scene. Others take days, which is the reason to get checked even when you walk away feeling fine.
Whiplash and soft tissue injuries
Neck and shoulder strain from the head snapping forward. Often worse on day two or three than on the day itself.
Concussion and head injuries
You do not have to hit your head to get one. Confusion, headaches, light sensitivity and trouble sleeping all count as reasons to be seen.
Back and spinal injuries
Herniated discs and nerve pain are common after a rear-end hit, and they are among the injuries most likely to need long-term treatment.
Broken bones
Ribs, wrists, arms and legs take the force in a crash. Time off work is usually a large part of what a claim covers.
Internal injuries
Bleeding and organ damage can be hard to spot and dangerous to leave. Seat belt bruising across the abdomen is worth mentioning to a doctor.
Anxiety and trouble driving again
Sleep problems, flashbacks and avoiding the road are real effects of a crash, and treatment for them can form part of a claim.
Liability
Who is at Fault in a Car Accident
Another driver
The usual answer. Speeding, running a light, following too closely or simply not looking.
An employer
If the driver was working at the time, their employer may share responsibility. That often matters because the company carries larger policy limits.
A government body
Missing signs, a badly designed junction or a pothole left for months. These claims usually carry much shorter notice deadlines, so they need acting on quickly.
A manufacturer
Faulty brakes, a tire that failed, airbags that did not deploy. These turn into product claims against the maker rather than a driver.
What if you were partly at fault?
Sharing some of the fault does not automatically end a claim. Most states reduce what you recover by your share of the blame, and many bar recovery only once you pass 50% or 51%. A few states are stricter. Your state page has the rule that applies to you.
Compensation
Car Accident Compensation: What You Can Claim
What a claim can include depends on your injuries, your state and the insurance available. These are the categories that come up most often.
Medical bills, now and later
Ambulance, hospital, imaging, physical therapy and the cost of treatment a doctor says you will still need.
Lost wages and lost earning capacity
Time off while you recover, plus the longer term hit if you cannot go back to the same work.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and anything in it that was damaged.
Pain and suffering
The physical pain and the effect on daily life. How this is calculated varies a lot between states.
Long-term and in-home care
Where injuries are permanent, the cost of ongoing care and home adaptations can be part of the claim.
In wrongful death cases
Funeral and burial costs, plus the loss of the income and support the person provided.
No page can tell you what a claim is worth. Anyone who gives you a figure before seeing your medical records is guessing.
First steps
What To Do After A Car Accident
After a car accident, these are the steps that make the most difference to both your health and any claim you decide to bring.
Get checked by a doctor
Even if you feel fine. Adrenaline masks a lot, and a gap between the crash and your first medical record is the first thing an insurer will point at.
Report it
Call the police and find out how to get a copy of the crash report. Tell your own insurer the crash happened, even if it was not your fault.
Document the scene
Both vehicles, where they ended up, the road and any signs or signals. Photograph your injuries as they develop, and get the other driver's details plus any witness numbers.
Go carefully with the insurer
The other driver's insurer may call within a day asking for a recorded statement. You are not required to give one, and most people speak to an attorney first.
Mind the deadline
Every state sets a limit on how long you have to file. Check your state page, and remember that claims against a public body usually run on a much shorter clock.
Ready when you are
Speak With An Attorney About Your Car Accident
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How it works
How Easy Accident Help works
Easy Accident Help is a free service that matches people hurt in car accidents with independent personal injury attorneys. You answer a few quick questions, we look for an attorney licensed in your state whose practice covers car accidents, then we pass your details to them and they reach out. We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice. The attorney you talk to does, and you decide whether to hire them.
Being matched costs nothing, and the first conversation with the attorney costs nothing. The attorneys work on contingency, so their fee comes out of a settlement or award rather than your pocket, and you owe no attorney fee if the case does not succeed.
To be clear
Easy Accident Help is not a law firm and not a lawyer referral service. We do not give legal advice and we do not represent you. The attorney you are matched with does that, and any attorney-client relationship is between you and them.
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Common questions
Frequently Asked Car Accident Questions
Do I need a lawyer for a car accident?
How long do I have to file a car accident claim?
How much does it cost to get help?
What if I was partly at fault?
Should I accept the insurance company's first offer?
Is Easy Accident Help a law firm?
No. We are a free service that matches people with independent personal injury attorneys. We do not give legal advice. The attorney you are matched with does.
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