Your day started off great and then it happened. You’re in a vehicle collision and your day is quickly going downhill. You haven’t even gotten out of your vehicle and you’re already thinking about potential expenses.
You’re probably seeing things like medical bills, maybe you broke your tailbone, and property repair expenses looming in your future. There may be a way of avoiding the responsibility of covering your assorted damages. However, recovering compensation for a broken tailbone in an Oklahoma injury claim means following a few essential steps. This typically applies whether you suffer a broken tailbone or any other type of injury.
Understanding Oklahoma Insurance Rules
A key step in pretty much any personal injury claim is figuring out the state’s insurance rules. These rules play a role in which steps you follow immediately after a vehicle collision. The Sooner State follows at-fault insurance guidelines. This means you’re filing a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance provider. This isn’t the only insurance rule potentially impacting your accident claim.
Oklahoma is also a comparative negligence state. This insurance law lets more than one individual/entity be responsible for causing the accident. If you’re assigned blame, your potential compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. Your assigned percentage of fault can also prevent you from filing an injury claim. You can only file a claim against the other driver’s insurance provider if you’re not more than 50% liable for the vehicle collision.
Key Steps For Recovering Compensation for a Broken Tailbone
Whether you’re dealing with a broken tailbone or other types of injuries, the steps for recovering compensation are the same.
Check for Injuries
Before you grab your phone to call 9-1-1, check yourself and any passengers for injuries. If possible, see if anyone else involved in the collision suffered any injuries. This way you can let the emergency operator know who to send. Do you only need the police or should fire/rescue also respond to the accident scene?
Besides, the last thing you want is to wander around injured after an accident. You may end up causing a more serious injury and this can complicate your accident claim. The insurance adjuster may refuse to cover some of your damages. Their reasoning is your actions immediately after the accident worsened your injuries.
Immediately Report the Accident
When property damage is less than $300, and there aren’t any injuries or fatalities you can skip immediately reporting the accident. Instead, you can file an accident report when you have some free time. Just make sure it’s within ten days of the accident.
However, since pretty much any type of vehicle repair is going to run over $300, it’s usually best to immediately report all traffic accidents. Usually, it’s best to err on the side of caution even if vehicle damage is barely noticeable.
Sure, waiting around for the authorities to arrive can be a pain. You have things to do and it doesn’t include waiting for the police to arrive. As tempting as it can be to drive away, it’s not a great idea. You may find yourself facing a leaving the scene of an accident charge. Even if this only results in a misdemeanor, it’s probably going to make it harder to recover any compensation for your damages.
Seek Medical Attention
Injuries like broken tailbones are almost instantly noticeable. You’re probably going to feel some pain and discomfort every time you sit down or try to take a step. Other injuries like soft tissue ones aren’t always so obvious. Sometimes it takes a few days or even weeks for symptoms to start popping up. Ignoring a potential injury usually leads to more health complications.
Seeking immediate medical attention does more than help protect your overall health. Your medical appointment is necessary if you’re planning on listing injuries in your accident claim. You’re going to need to supply proof of your injuries in the form of things like your medical records, bills, and receipts.
Gather Your Evidence
Okay, this can be a multi-step process. However, don’t worry if your injuries are severe and prevent you from actively gathering evidence. Your Oklahoma accident attorney can handle this step while you focus on your health.
With that being said, if you’re up and walking about after the accident try to gather some evidence. While this generally includes taking pictures of your vehicle damage and even of any visible injuries, don’t go overboard. You’re not a detective, you’re only gathering some evidence to help support your accident claim. This means don’t start interviewing any witnesses. Leave this to your accident attorney. What you can do is get the witnesses’ contact information.
The reason you don’t want to start interviewing witnesses is simple. The at-fault driver’s insurance adjuster is also going to talk to any witnesses. Anything you say can be used by the insurance company to try and reduce the value of your accident claim. To protect your future claim it’s best to keep your conversation short.
Don’t forget to look around for any surveillance cameras in the area. Chances are, there are at least one or two cameras in the area. Don’t try to get the video footage. This is a job for your accident attorney. Instead, just make a note of the cameras’ location. Your attorney can subpoena the footage.
Contact the Insurance Company
Even though you’re not filing a claim with your auto insurance provider, it’s still a good idea to give them a call. Letting your insurance company know about the accident can help the process go a little more smoothly. This can be especially true if you’re assigned a percentage of fault for the accident.
Your next call should be to the at-fault driver’s insurance provider. All you’re doing is letting the insurance company know you’re getting ready to file an accident claim. Once again, don’t go into detail about the accident. Save this information for when you’re ready to submit your accident claim.
Simplifying Your Oklahoma Accident Claim
Going through the claim process is rarely a piece of cake. However, you can simplify the process by working with a personal injury attorney. From helping prove fault to filing the claim with the insurance company, your attorney can take care of everything.
