Many times there are car accidents that result in minimal damage and the other party involved may not want to involve car insurance. They may have a number of reasons for wanting this. They may want to avoid filing a police report, they may think their insurance rates will increase, they may not have insurance, they may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or they may have warrants out for their arrest. Needless to say there are a number of reasons they may have. However, in the state of Texas you are required to report the crash to police. The other party may even offer to give you cash to help repair any damage to your car, this should be a red flag to you. When in doubt, if you are in a car accident and are unsure how to proceed, contact a car accident attorney to receive sound legal advice.
You May Be Injured and Not Know It
If you do not involve the police or exchange insurance information you may end up losing a substantial amount of money. Many times after an auto accident you may feel fine, but your adrenaline could be masking injuries that may appear over the next few days that require treatment. After being involved in a car accident that was no fault of your own, you might not be in control of your thinking, especially if you have suffered a concussion. The driver, who actually caused the crash might unjustifiably blame it on you and even become belligerent and aggressive while refusing to produce any kind of identification or insurance information. That’s when you call 911 and report the accident. You’ll want paramedics dispatched to the scene too. Texas law requires you to report the crash to police, so you’re certainly not being unreasonable in doing that. If at all possible, note the make, model and the license plate of the vehicle that hit you. Also gather as much evidence from the accident scene as possible so if you need to file a claim you can provide this information to your personal injury or car accident attorney.
Let That Person Be Unreasonable to the Police
When the police arrive, the crash will be investigated, and a written report of it will be generated. Some of the critical information that the accident report will contain will be the names of the insurers of the parties alone with their insurance policy numbers. The Texas Department of Insurance states that Texas law requires drivers to have liability insurance coverage. The minimum required amounts are $30,000 per person for injury or death, $60,000 per occurrence and $25,000 for property damage. The person who caused your accident and injuries might refuse to show you his or her proof of insurance, but if this person refuses to show an investigating police officer that proof after an accident, that individual is going to have some other legal problems too.
What if the Other Driver Wants to Keep Insurance Out of the Picture?
If the other driver has insurance, there’s no law that requires you to involve his or her insurance company with the accident. It’s highly likely that you’d be doing yourself a huge disservice if you agreed to keep that person’s insurance out of the picture though. You still don’t know the nature and extent of your injuries, and there’s no guarantee that the person who caused your accident will “live up to” any deal that you might make with him or her. The opposing insurer could raise a policy defense and walk away from coverage in the event that you eventually make a claim. You might be giving your own insurance company grounds to walk away too. Never agree to keep insurance out of the picture. You pay premiums to get your insurer involved in an accident when you need it.
So What if the Other Driver Just Drives Off?
If the other driver flees the scene, stay there until police and paramedics arrive. Now, you’re not only the injured victim of an accident that wasn’t your fault, but you’re also the victim of a hit-and-run. That’s a crime. An investigation will still be conducted, and an accident report will be written up. You’ll be needing a copy of that report in the immediate future, especially if you have uninsured motorist insurance. In the interim, have the attending paramedics take you to the nearest emergency room for examination and treatment. After that, notify your insurance company of the car accident.
Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney
The Law Offices of Attorney Kohm have experienced car accident attorneys that have been successful dealing with uninsured motorist insurance benefits for other drivers in the past. You’ll be needing us for that purpose too. You can call our law offices today at any of our convenient locations and obtain a free consultation on your car accident.
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