5 Tips For Anyone Involved in a Multi Vehicle Collision

When a car accident involves more than one vehicle and more than one driver, there is a potential for conflict when it comes time to sort out who was at fault. If you are involved in a multi-vehicle collision, you may find yourself battling multiple insurance companies while trying to protect yourself from unjustified blame for the accident.

You don’t need that hassle, especially while recovering from injuries related to the accident. A multi-vehicle accident lawyer at Joye Law Firm can investigate the South Carolina car accident you were involved in and help you seek compensation for your losses if others were at fault. Your lawyer will be the heavy lifting, while you focus on your recovery.

Before contacting Joye Law Firm, here are some steps to take to help yourself:

At the scene of an accident:

1. Immediately after a multi-vehicle accident, stop and summon police. If someone has been injured or killed in a car crash, South Carolina law requires you to stop at or near the accident scene, provide reasonable assistance to anyone who needs help (such as calling for an ambulance), and exchange information (driver’s license, vehicle information, etc.). If there have been injuries, do not move your vehicle. If an accident has only caused damage to the vehicles, you may move your vehicle to avoid obstructing traffic, if it is safe to do so.

Remain at the scene and wait for emergency responders to arrive. Turn your car’s hazard lights on.

1. Take as many photographs as possible. Take photos of the vehicles and the accident scene to document the crash. The photos may help support an insurance claim or lawsuit later. Get photos of anything that will help illustrate the accident:

• The damage to each vehicle
• The position of the vehicles in relation to each other
• Skid marks and other debris from the crash
• Your injuries and those of your passengers
• A depiction of the accident site’s location with street signs or buildings in the background to locate the site
• A depiction of weather conditions.

1. Gather witnesses’ statements. Ask any passengers in your vehicle or bystanders who saw the accident to let you make a short video of them explaining what they saw. Ask for their permission to be recorded while the device is recording and have them state their full name and a contact phone number. If you take a statement in writing, ask the individual to sign and date it. Do this while your passengers and witnesses are present and what has happened is fresh on their minds.

After the accident:

4. Report the accident to your insurer. When talking to the insurance company or anyone about the accident:

• Do not apologize or accept blame. Do not admit that you caused a car accident because you may not know all the contributing factors. In a multi-vehicle accident, more than one driver may share fault. If someone suggests you are at fault, say, “It hasn’t been determined.” Do not blame anyone else, either.
• Do not speculate about the accident. Be ready and comfortable saying “I don’t know” when questioned about the accident. Don’t guess about things. Anything you say may potentially be used against you later, so be careful what you say. Provide the facts and nothing more when questioned about the accident or your injuries. Let the police investigate and reach a conclusion about how it occurred.
• Don’t downplay your injuries. This one can be tricky! If an insurance adjuster says, “So how are you?” the reflexive response is something like, “Oh, I’m OK.” This is a mistake. You’ve just said you were not injured! You don’t want to downplay or exaggerate your injuries. If you are hurt in an accident, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible and remember his or her diagnosis. Learn to state your exact injuries when asked how you are after a car accident.
• Don’t accept a quick settlement offer. You’ll have many expenses after being injured in a car accident, especially medical bills. You may be out of work because of your injuries and experiencing some financial stress from loss of income. An insurance adjuster may offer you a quick settlement to limit the insurer’s liability. Early offers are designed to sound like a lot of money while ensuring that the insurance company comes out ahead. If you are still receiving medical care and have not returned to work, no one knows what your final costs and losses will be. It’s a good idea to have an experienced personal injury attorney review any settlement offer you receive and discuss whether it is a reasonable offer based on your injuries and related losses.

5. Meet with a car accident lawyer. You deserve a just insurance settlement if you have been injured in a multi-vehicle car accident caused by someone else’s negligence or recklessness. In South Carolina, a car accident attorney from Joye Law Firm can help you seek full and fair compensation. As your attorneys, we can:

• Investigate who was at fault in the multi-vehicle accident
• Identify all insurance policies available to provide compensation to you
• Calculate all of your costs and losses, including medical bills, lost income, property damage costs, pain and suffering
• Present demand letters to insurers for compensation to you
• Negotiate aggressively for a proper settlement or pursue a lawsuit seeking the maximum compensation available to you.

Joye Law Firm’s work for you begins with a free, no-obligation consultation about the accident that injured you and your legal options. Our attorneys are attentive, compassionate, and we do not charge a legal fee unless and until we recover money for you.. Joye Law Firm has been recovering compensation for accident victims across South Carolina for more than 50 years. We are ready to help you, too.

Joye Law Firm has offices in Charleston, Columbia, Clinton, Summerville, and Myrtle Beach. We represent injured people across South Carolina. Contact Joye Law Firm. Call us at 888-324-3100 or use this online contact form for a free case review today.