Whether you are on your way to work or your way to the strip, there is no telling when you may become the victim of an auto accident. According to the last official count, the population of Nevada was somewhere around 2.7 million, and about 25% of those people are under the age of 18. This is important because studies show that teenagers are one of the primary causes of Nevada traffic accidents.
Just because you are a safe driver, and even though you may have never had an accident in your whole life, and even if you have the best insurance that money can buy – there is no guarantee that you won’t become the victim of an auto accident in Nevada.
If you are ever unfortunate enough to be involved in a Nevada auto accident, here is some important information that you should keep in mind.
Blame & Liability
A person who is responsible for causing an auto accident is said to be liable for that accident. Once a person is deemed liable for an accident, you generally have the right to pursue damages from the liable party for losses like lost earnings, medical expenses, and property damage. Depending on the severity of an auto accident, the liable party may also be required to pay compensation for losses like future medical expenses and future lost earnings. Since the type of damages that you can recover will vary from case to case, you are encouraged to speak with an experienced personal injury and auto accident attorney for advice as soon after an accident as you are able. Contact with an attorney should be made as soon as possible because the more time that you spend dealing with a case without an attorney’s help, the longer you risk saying or doing something which could hurt your own case and your ability to collect damages.
Nevada’s attorney general, Catherine Cortez Masto, is telling drivers in our state to beware of “staged” car accidents intentionally designed to defraud automobile insurance companies. Staged accidents are difficult to prove, but perpetrators could face criminal penalties for insurance fraud and civil penalties if they are responsible for real injuries to innocent parties. If you’ve been injured in any traffic accident that you believe was suspicious in any way, share your concerns with an experienced Las Vegas personal injury attorney.
A Quick Response is Best
After an accident, contacting an attorney to handle your case may not be the first thing on your mind, or a task which you are particularly excited about having to do. On the bright side, there are many benefits to working with an attorney to pursue damages following an auto accident. For example, the attorney can handle any and all contact with the liable party on your behalf, leaving you with much more free time to rest, recuperate, and focus on getting back on your feet. Also, an attorney knows exactly what kind of paperwork needs to be filed and how the paperwork needs to be filed in order to give you the best chance possible of having your case heard in court. If you wait too long after an accident, you may allow the statute of limitations to expire on your case, which is an amount of time that you are allowed by statute to pursue damages. Waiting until after a statute of limitations has expired to file charges against a liable party can result in the swift dismissal of your case from the court’s docket – in other words, the charges won’t even be considered, even if the other party was 100% liable for any injuries and losses sustained.
If you have been involved in a car accident, contact an experienced Las Vegas personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
