Unfortunately, accidents on roads are not rare, and it is very important to know how to react in case of a car accident. If you are a part of it, be sure to first remove the vehicle off the road, and check if someone seeks medical help. When this part is over, you can start examining the situation and check who is responsible for the accident. If there is no way to handle the case and agree on whose fault it was in the first place, you can file a lawsuit to resolve this problem and demand compensation.
If you don’t have any experience in this process, maybe the best solution is to hire a lawyer. If you need one in Ontario, check this out. On the other side, it is not mandatory to select this type of assistance. You can defend yourself in court or claim compensation on your own. There are strict laws and regulations related to traffic and car accidents. Therefore, if you have a clear case, there is no need to spend additional money on an attorney. We are going to analyze more about this option in the following article.
When To Choose This Option?
In dangerous driving cases most people will avoid representing themselves due to a lack of experience and knowledge related to laws and legal processes. However, if you already had some similar cases in the past, you can decide to represent yourself. However, check if there are some complex parts where you might not be able to provide proper arguments. On the other side, if the case is clear, and there is no chance for you to lose, there is no need to waste money. Still, be sure to check the current regulations and penalties, along with the amount of money you can get as compensation.
Level of Injuries
If you only had few bruises, and there are no more serious and visible injuries after the accident, the agreement should be completed without any issues. However, both sides must agree about who is responsible for the accident. In that case, there is no need to move this case to the court in the first place. On the other side, if there are some more serious injuries, the first thing that you should do is to visit a hospital and ask for a detailed medical report which you can use as evidence on the court.
Demanding a certain compensation in case of serious injuries requires a proper analysis of your condition. Still, if you don’t have proper knowledge and experience, you might demand a lower amount of money as part of the payment. In that matter, you might want to consider hiring a lawyer since it is a more effective option.
Responsibility is Already Determined
We already mentioned that you can avoid an attorney if it is clear that you were not responsible for the accident. However, it is not a rare case that both parties cannot agree on these terms. You will need proper evidence and a medical report, along with the police reports from the place of an accident. If you think that there are some complications possible to prove this on the court, you should choose to hire professional assistance.
What Can You Get in Compensation?
Depending on the level of injuries and damage made to your motorcycle, you can get a refund to cover all of those expenses. You should get a full medical report and bills to provide that to the other party or their insurance company. Also, you can demand compensation if you lose wages on work due to your inability to work during the time of recovery. Besides that, you can add mental pain to increase the amount even more. Also, you should get your motorcycle to the mechanic to evaluate how much money it will take to repair it.
However, creating a proper calculation on your own can be complicated, and you should avoid mistakes since it will lower your chances on the court to get a full repayment for the damage. That is another reason to hire an attorney with a lot of experience in this field. Also, you might have certain claims, like the one for lost wages, mental pain, and more. Still, the attorney can create a much more precise calculation since there are regulations and previous cases that you can use to more accurate files.
Common Mistakes That You Should Avoid
First of all, you must know that you are not demanded to provide the insurance company with a recorded declaration of the case. Also, it is essential to determine the accurate amount of money. Asking for too much can negatively affect the outcome of the trial, while you can lose a lot of money on the other side as well. Be aware of the fact that law is complex, and representing yourself in the right way can be crucial for being satisfied with the court’s decision.
Moreover, in many cases, the other side or insurance company might try to create some sort of agreement to avoid expenses on the court. However, you should ask experts for proper advice in this situation to avoid getting scammed. Getting a full medical report is very important as well, and be sure to check whether there might be some long-term consequences of your injuries. That will significantly raise the amount of money you can get.
Conclusion
When you have proper knowledge about regulations and how much money you can ask for the damage of your motorcycle and injuries, you can save a lot of money by representing yourself. Still, you should be aware of the fact that this is a complex matter, and if you are not properly informed, there is a lot of space for mistakes where you can lose a lot. In that matter, if you determine that the case is more serious and requires professional assistance, the safest option is to hire a lawyer, which can be much more effective, provide you with higher compensation, and make the process much faster.
