As the victim of a car accident, you may be wondering where to turn for help and what your options are. The two most important steps to take after being in a car accident are to seek medical attention for any injuries you sustained and contact a personal injury lawyer after gathering the contact information of the other people involved in the incident. 

Once you reach out to a personal injury lawyer, the attorney you retain will start the claims process on your behalf. But what is a claim? And what does the process of filing a claim after being involved in a car accident really look like? We are going to explore the claims process today in order to shed light on what you can expect as the victim in a car accident.  

The Most Common Claims Filed by Car Accident Victims 

For starters, a personal injury claim is a legal declaration stating that you, the victim, are owed compensation for injuries you sustained and damage caused to your property as the result of a personal injury incident. When you hire legal counsel to represent you, your attorney will file a personal injury claim on your behalf. 

Driving a motor vehicle involves multiple types of complex tasks that must be performed at the same time. A driver will need to pay close attention to the road and be prepared to react immediately to conditions around their vehicle and the movements of cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, or pedestrians. Unfortunately, the amount of time people spend behind the wheel can affect their ability to concentrate on driving, and they can become distracted all too easily. Drivers who fail to fully pay attention or attempt other tasks while behind the wheel can put other people at risk of serious injury in a car accident.

Dangerous Types of Distractions

When a person is driving, they can be distracted in one or more of the following ways:

• Visual distractions - Drivers should keep their eyes on the road at all times to make sure they can notice and respond to anything that is happening around them. However, drivers may look away from the road for multiple reasons, including to check a radio or navigation system, to look for items inside their vehicle, to check on children or other passengers, or because they notice billboards or other items on the side of the road that capture their attention.

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When you get into a car accident, a variety of injuries can happen. Many people sustain whiplash, bruising, and sometimes even broken bones. Another fairly common injury that a car accident can produce is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBIs can and often do range in severity, especially if you sustained the injury from a car accident. In severe cases, a brain injury could also lead to death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were more than 61,000 people who died from a TBI in 2019, with even more injured. If you suffered a TBI in a car accident, you should speak to an Illinois car accident injury lawyer to discuss your options to recover compensation.

What is a TBI?

A TBI is an injury that occurs to your brain after your head suffers a blow, bump, or jolt. Many TBIs occur from car accidents. The CDC estimates that about 25 percent of TBIs are caused by vehicle accidents. TBIs can also occur when something penetrates the brain, such as a bullet, projectile, or skull fragment.  Most TBIs only injure brain tissue and heal within a couple of weeks, but with more severe TBIs, the symptoms and effects of the injury may last for years or even a lifetime. 

Look for These Symptoms

TBIs can present a variety of symptoms depending on the severity of the injury. When a TBI is mild, it is often referred to as a concussion. Symptoms of a mild TBI include:

Whether traveling or hosting a huge gathering at home, Thanksgiving should be celebrated with safety in mind. The Thanksgiving holiday means family, friends, food, and fun. However, winter weather, busy traffic, alcohol consumption, and kitchen chaos can result in accidents that dampen the celebrations. These accidents can be avoided with just a bit of extra caution. Here are some tips to make the holiday safer and ensure everyone has a great time.

Driving Safety

The risk of auto accidents increases with millions of people crowding the highways and byways during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. Those who’ll be driving should have their vehicles inspected, serviced, and cleaned before the trip. They should also remember to drive defensively, be aware of the weather and road conditions, observe the speed limits, allow for more time to reach their destination, and avoid distracted, drowsy, or impaired driving.

A properly written witness statement could play a pivotal role in helping car accident victims to recover damages. An eyewitness may have knowledge about the accident that is not available in any other pieces of evidence. A witness statement puts observations in writing. A successful witness statement should include the witness’s contact information, details of the accident, information about injuries and property damage, and a signature. 

Witness’s Name and Contact Information

A witness statement should include the full legal name of the person making the statement. It should also contain important contact information including a phone number, home address, and email.

Including the Who, When, What, and Where of the Car Accident

The witness statement should address the who, when, what, and where of the car accident. It should list the names of all involved parties, details about the vehicles involved in the crash, the date and time the crash took place, and where the accident took place. The witness should be as specific as possible about what he or she saw and heard.