Traffic around the world is getting busier and busier. That is also because we are increasingly using transport. That is why the number of kilometers we drove is still increasing. But as a result, the number of road accidents is also increasing. In the Netherlands alone, the number of bicycle accidents, but also the number of car accidents, has increased. For this we also increasingly call on a personal injury lawyer (Dutch: letselschade advocaat).
What to do after a traffic accident?
Many people are involved in a traffic accident once or even several times in their lives. For example, because you are hit by a car while cycling. Or in a car accident as a result of a rear-end collision. It is then logical that you do not know exactly what to do in order to recover your personal injury from the liable party.
Of course you can hire a personal injury lawyer to recover your personal injury. For example, a personal injury lawyer in The Hague (Dutch: letselschade advocaat Den Haag) will know exactly what to do to recover your personal injury. But a personal injury lawyer often only comes into play later in the settlement process. However, it is especially important that you take the right steps immediately after the traffic accident. Therefore we advise you as follows:
– Always fill in a collision damage form
– Ask witnesses to testify
– Take pictures of the accident site and your injury
– Always go to a doctor with your injury
– Call in a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible
Fill in the damage form
Completing a collision damage form is very important, especially if you fill it in as soon as possible after a traffic accident. By completing the claim form, it is immediately clear who your counterparty is. But in addition, the insurance details are entered. This is important because this non-life insurer will ultimately often have to pay for your personal injury.
On the claim form you can enter even more important information, such as the circumstances of the traffic accident. You can even draw the facts of the accident on a European claim form. This immediately establishes who is at fault for the accident.
Always have a collision damage form signed by the other party. This means that he or she agrees with the contents of the claim form, which has been established between the parties. If you send the collision damage form directly to your personal injury lawyer, he will start working on it for you.
Witness statements
If you have been hit by a car and you want to hold the other party liable, the burden of proof is on you. This means that you must prove that the other party is at fault for the accident. Sometimes, however, there is discussion about who is guilty and therefore liable. Then it is important that you have a witness who can indicate who is guilty.
So if you have been hit by someone else, always check whether there are any witnesses to the accident. Ask these people for their contact details so that you can always call them in if necessary, after the accident.
