Car Accident Lawyers in Hastings, MN

Highly Skilled, Knowledgeable Hastings Car Accident Lawyers

Almost every driver will have or has been in a car accident during their lifetime. A severe car accident can change your quality of life physically and emotionally. In Hastings, Minnesota, if you’re injured in a vehicle collision, you’ll face insurance and personal injury claim complexities.

Vehicle accidents can involve numerous types of automobiles and that may have an impact on the severity of the injuries inflicted. For instance, when a bicyclist or pedestrian is hit by a car, the sustained injuries can be devastating and are often fatal. The same may be true for motorcyclists hit by a car, truck, bus, or tractor-trailer because the motorcycle operator has little protection around their body. Still, when you’re in an automobile and are impacted by another vehicle, your injuries could be catastrophic. But even if the injuries are less severe, you may still need legal assistance to file an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit in a civil court.

What to do After a Hastings, Minnesota Car Accident

If you are able, call 911 so you can both receive an EMT evaluation if you’re injured, and have the police view the scene and provide a report of the accident. As much as you are able, collect the at-fault driver’s insurance information, including carrier names and policy numbers. As soon as possible, contact your insurance company to report that you were in an accident, but do not provide any further details. Also, get the other driver’s license number. You can also take pictures of their insurance card and driver’s license with your phone. Take photos of the accident scene and the resulting property damage. Look for bystanders who witnessed the accident and collect their names and contact information. Write down a description of all vehicles involved in the accident, including license plate numbers and the vehicle’s make and model.

Call a Car Accident Attorney Right Away

You should call a Hasting’s car accident attorney as soon as possible after a motor vehicle collision. After the accident’s chaos, and assuming you are medically and physically capable, you should call a Hasting’s car accident attorney right away. If you are unable to call because of your injuries, have a loved one call for you. The sooner you have legal representation, the better you can protect your rights to fair compensation for your damages. You can be sure that the other party will contact their insurance company (unless they’re uninsured), and that company may call you and ask for a recorded statement. If this happens, you should not make a statement of any kind. All you should do is refer the insurance company to your attorney so that you don’t say anything that may jeopardize your claim.

That’s one important reason that you should contact a Hasting’s car accident attorney quickly after an accident.

• Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
• Semi-Truck Accident Attorneys
• Snowmobile Accident Injury Lawyers
• Train Accident Attorneys

Financial Settlement Amounts and Time Frame for Damages Compensation

How much money you are entitled to depends on the details of your case. If the accident only caused property damage, of course, the amount will be less than if you or your loved ones were mildly or severely injured. The specific amounts will be dependent on the unique nature of your case and how it is presented to an insurance company.  Just providing medical bills will not fully explain your damages.  Oftentimes, the worst part of our injuries are hard to quantify.  Using an experienced attorney who knows how to convey these things to an insurance company, in a way that they can understand, is hugely important.

The timing of a settlement, or the decision to initiate a lawsuit, will also depend on the unique characteristics of your case.  Sometimes this can be done right away if the damages or losses you have experienced warrant such an action.  However, oftentimes you will need to wait until your treating medical professionals have a grasp on the full nature and extent of your injuries, after diagnostic tests have been completed and you have had time to heal. This will vary with each case.

What Are “Pain and Suffering” Damages?

After an automobile collision, you typically have two different types of claims.  The first is through your own insurance policy for no-fault benefits.  “Pain and suffering” damages are not covered under your no-fault insurance policy. Pain and suffering refers to a specific type of damage that you sustain after an injury.  What is pain and suffering and how is that related to a Hastings car accident? Pain and suffering refers to a claim that is presented to the liability insurer, or the insurance company for the at-fault vehicle or driver. Pain and suffering includes physical pain and discomfort because of your collision injuries. It may also include suffering caused by the medical treatment required to promote your recovery. Pain and suffering may include emotional distress, financial fears, worry about how you’re going to take care of yourself and your family, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other non-physical consequences of the accident. It includes loss of companionship, inconvenience you have had to experience because of the car crash, the toll of any scarring or disfigurement that you have to live with, or emotional distress.

It can be complicated to prove what pain and suffering is worth. To prove that you’re enduring pain and suffering because of an accident typically requires the skill of an experienced car accident attorney that knows how to use your real life experiences and convey them to an insurance company or jury in a way that will resonate and lead to a full recovery for the damages you have suffered.  Remember, each case is unique.  We can all guess what you are feeling after a motor vehicle collision and during your resulting physical therapy or medical treatment, but you are the only person who is truly living through the experience.  Make sure you select an attorney who will listen to your experience, like the lawyers at Sieben Edmunds Miller.

An Uber, Lyft or Door Dash Driver Injured Me—What Now?

Just as if you were in a non-rideshare car accident, collecting damages may require filing a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. The same is true if you were in an accident with a rideshare driver. Lyft and Uber drivers are required to carry their own licensed automobile insurance. Depending on the extent of the rideshare driver’s auto coverage, your damages may be covered.

If your medical, non-medical, and pain and suffering damages exceed the driver’s insurance coverage, then you may be able to proceed by filing a claim with the rideshare insurance company directly. Uber, Lyft and other rideshare companies are required to carry no-fault, uninsured/underinsured, and liability insurance. This will likely be in addition to your own no-fault benefits.  If you are in an Uber or Lyft vehicle and your driver was at fault, or if you were hit by an Uber or Lyft driver, you should know that there will be coverage available to you for your injuries.

How Long Do I Have To File a Claim?

While the statute of limitations for filing a civil lawsuit is typically six years from the date of an accident based upon negligence laws in Minnesota, setting up the claim with an insurance company should be done right away. It is important that your claims are set up correctly at the beginning of this process. Oftentimes, if you try to go it alone, you may screw something up at the outset and it will be much more difficult to fix later on. Having an experienced attorney at this point is very valuable. It should also be pointed out that some situations will dictate a shorter time period to file your case, sometimes as short as two years. This can be true if you are seeking uninsured motorist compensation from your own auto insurer, but will often be policy dependent.

In the case of a wrongful death claim against an at-fault driver, a lawsuit must be filed within three years from the date of the accident victim’s death.

Often, there are complex variables that may lengthen or shorten specific time frames. It is important to get legal assistance right away to make sure you are protected. Let the lawyers at Sieben Edmunds Miller explain the possible time limitations you may experience as you go forward with your personal injury claims.

Sieben Edmunds Miller Personal Injury Car Accident Attorneys Are Ready To Help!

To protect your physical and financial health, you should consult an attorney even before you interact with your own insurance company or the at-fault driver’s. If you speak to any insurance company following an accident, you may inadvertently say things that will compromise a fair settlement. Once that happens, it can be very difficult to undo the damage that has been done.

In the case of car accidents that cause severe injuries, an insurance company may readily offer you less than you deserve. You should know that any insurance company is in the business to make money, and their agenda is to pay you as little as possible. This isn’t personal, it is simply the business model insurance companies follow to maximize profits.  We’ve found that even intelligent, highly educated car accident survivors fall for insurance company’s sophisticated and immediate, low-payment strategies.

Therefore, to avoid being “tricked” by an insurance company that wants to pay less for your damages, you need a knowledgeable Hastings lawyers to help you avoid settling for less than you deserve.

To Protect Your Rights, Call a Hastings Car Accident Attorney

It’s imperative that when you have been in a Hastings car accident that you have the advice and direction of knowledgeable, highly skilled car accident and personal injury lawyers. You should call Sieben Edmunds Miller right away so that we can help protect you.

Protect Your Claim for Damages Through Competent Legal Help

The car accident attorneys at Sieben Edmunds Miller are ready to listen to what happened and provide you with a free case evaluation. We fervently want to help you protect your financial rights and facilitate your full recovery. Just call us at (651) 994-6744. Or if you like, write us a message on our email form here. Either way you choose to communicate with us, we will respond promptly and begin working on your case immediately.

Hastings, MN Car Accident FAQs