blog home Car Accidents What You Need to Know if Someone Runs You Off the Road and Causes You to Crash

What You Need to Know if Someone Runs You Off the Road and Causes You to Crash

By Butler Prather LLP on January 30, 2020

Vehicle accidents can be scary, particularly if you are run off the road by another driver. These incidents can be devastating and cause serious injuries to drivers and passengers in the vehicle that runs off the road. Complicating the matter further, the motorist who runs a driver off the road may not even stop or realize they caused a crash. If you or a loved one have crashed after being run off the road, there are several things that you need to know about that pertain to your situation.

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Call the police and report the incident

Call 911 to report the incident as soon as it is safe to do so. Try to remember anything you can about the vehicle that ran you off the road, including the vehicle’s color, make, and model. Try to remember any identifying features of the driver. Let the police perform a thorough investigation of the crash. In a best-case scenario, officers will be able to find the driver who ran you off the road. However, that is not always the case.

Seek medical attention immediately

It is vital that you seek medical attention for any injuries you have sustained. Even if you do not feel any pain immediately following the crash, please understand that the symptoms of many car accident injuries do not appear for hours or even days after a crash. Getting assessed by a doctor immediately after a crash will help when it comes to an insurance settlement or a personal injury lawsuit (if the at-fault driver is found).

Talk to any witnesses

In a car accident, particularly one where the at-fault driver does not stop, eyewitness testimony could be vital to your case. Other drivers and bystanders who saw the incident may have noticed more identifying details about the at-fault driver and vehicle that ran you off the road. They could also provide an account that mirrors your own. Eyewitnesses can help prove what happened, so be sure to get their names and contact information while at the scene of the accident.

Gathering evidence at the scene

If you are safely able to do so and do not have to seek emergency medical attention, you can use your smartphone or another camera to thoroughly document the crash scene. Take pictures of any vehicles involved, damage to any property, any injuries, traffic conditions, weather conditions, and more. With help from a skilled car accident attorney, you may also be able to obtain video surveillance from nearby businesses or homes that show what happened. This type of evidence can help your case with the insurance carrier.

Insurance companies and single-car crashes

Insurance carriers are well aware that hit-and-run incidents occur. However, that does not mean it will be easy to prove that another driver caused the accident. Insurers will look for ways to place the blame on you in order to lower the amount of money they have to payout in an insurance settlement. However, these claims should be covered by your insurance policy’s uninsured motorist coverage (UIM). Georgia drivers are not required to carry this type of coverage, but all insurance carriers are required to offer it. Most people have this type of coverage and do not even realize it.

Our Atlanta car accident attorneys are ready to take your call today.

Posted in: Car Accidents


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