Being a passenger in a car accident means that you were made an innocent victim. This is because the crash was almost definitely due to no fault of your own, yet you may still be forced to suffer its consequences. For this reason alone, you must understand your rights in the matter. Continue reading to learn how you might recover your damages as a passenger and how an experienced Tampa car accident lawyer at Merricks Law Group, P.A. can help you with this.
What types of injuries might a passenger incur?
As a passenger, you may walk away with the same injuries as the drivers involved in the car accident, possibly even injuries of greater severity.
For example, statistics show that front-seat passengers are more likely to incur severe abdominal injuries than drivers. Plus, rear-seat passengers are more likely to incur traumatic brain injuries than drivers. This is unfortunately true simply due to the design of most standard motor vehicles.
Aside from abdominal and brain injuries, additional examples include the following:
- Passengers may incur sprained or broken bones.
- Passengers may incur neck and spinal cord injuries.
- Passengers may incur disfigurement from facial injuries.
- Passengers may incur scarring and chronic pain issues from burns.
How might I recover my damages as a passenger in a car accident?
As a passenger, you cannot stand idly by while the drivers take action in the aftermath of a car accident. For one, you must consider how much your injuries and damages may cost you (i.e., medical bills, lost wages, etc). In turn, you must consider how little your persnal injury protection (PIP) insurance will cover the extent of your losses.
Ultimately, this may lead you to a future personal injury claim that you must adequately prepare for in the present time. So, to protect your rights and build a solid case for yourself, you must take similar actions to the drivers. Such actions include the following:
- Take photos of your bodily injuries and other personal damages (i.e., damaged technological devices, luxury accessories, etc).
- Relay your perspective of the car accident event with the law enforcement officer who responded to the scene.
- Retrieve the contact information and car insurance information of all the drivers involved.
- Accept medical attention from the EMTs and paramedics who responded to the scene.
- Allow the EMTs and paramedics to transport you to the emergency room via ambulance for further medical evaluation.
- Collect medical test results and medical bills that transpire from your emergency room visit.
- Retain the services of a lawyer.
At the end of the day, your claim requires a skilled Tampa auto accident lawyer in your corner. So please get in touch with us at Merricks Law Group, P.A.
