Business trips are often fast-paced, with a packed schedule of meetings and tight deadlines. As a result, you may find yourself spending a lot of time in the car, traveling between appointments or locations. Whether you’re driving your own vehicle or a rental, the possibility of being involved in an accident in an unfamiliar area is always a concern. In the unlikely event that you find yourself in a car crash during a business trip, having the right lawyer by your side can make a significant difference in navigating the legal process. The following points highlight how a lawyer can assist you during this challenging time and help ensure that your rights are protected.
Understanding Your Legal Rights
Many different injuries and damages can happen from a car accident, so knowing your rights based on what happened to you is important when navigating legal issues. A lawyer can help you figure out what you are owed if the accident was not your fault and you were injured.
Personal Injury Claim
A personal injury claim can be filed if you sustained injuries in the car crash and you are seeking compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and time off of work, leading to lost wages. Personal injury claims are complicated and can take a lot of time, so hiring a lawyer to help walk you through the process and move it along as quickly as possible is an invaluable resource.
Worker’s Compensation
If you do end up involved in a car accident while on a business trip, you were technically at work when it happened. Because of this, you can make a worker’s compensation claim to see what worker’s compensation benefits you are entitled to. You can speak to a Car Accident Attorney in St. Louis who has expertise in accidents that occur under specific circumstances. They can walk you through your company’s specific worker’s compensation policies to see if your car accident falls under the umbrella of an on-the-job injury. If you were driving from one meeting to another, then technically, you were performing work-related duties, so you should be entitled to coverage.
Navigating Insurance Claims
Depending on how many parties were involved in the car accident, there may be many different insurance companies involved.
Personal Car Insurance
If you were driving your own car and had an insurance policy, then you would work directly with your insurance company to negotiate coverage for the damage to the car. If your insurance company pushes back on your requests and tries to cover less than it should, a car crash lawyer can step in and negotiate a fair price to get your vehicle back in shape.
Employer’s Insurance
Your employer’s insurance will come in to pay if you were driving a company vehicle or you were performing a work-related task by driving to where you were going. This can get complicated as you will have to prove that you were on the job when the accident happened. Working with an expert attorney can significantly improve the discussions with your employer’s insurance company because the lawyer can take over and advocate for you as an employee of the company.
Rental Car Insurance
Most of the time, if you get a rental car, you have to buy insurance in order to drive it. This insurance may cover any damages to the vehicle you were driving, especially if the accident was not your fault. Ask your lawyer about rental car insurance and how you can use it to minimize costs.
Determining Liability
Fault and Negligence
It can be difficult to determine liability in a car accident, especially if both parties think that the other is at fault. Without the help of a lawyer, you could get blamed for the accident even if you know it wasn’t your fault.
There is a lot of investigation that goes into determining liability from examining crash photographs to reading through police reports and researching driver histories. Having a lawyer by your side to do the heavy lifting part of this work will guarantee that you won’t be taken advantage of, and a thorough investigation will be conducted.
Third-Party Claims
If you know for certain that the other driver involved in the accident is the one at fault, then your lawyer can help you in filing a claim against their insurance company. Usually, when an accident occurs, the parties involved swap insurance information. If you have that information, share it with your lawyer, and you can work together to build a case to prove that their client was the driver at fault. This is one of the best ways to get the compensation you deserve.
Legal Representation
Negotiation
Having a lawyer at your disposal during any legal proceeding means that they can use their negotiating skills to get you the compensation you deserve. Lawyers spend most of their careers negotiating, so they are experts in the craft.
Litigation
If negotiations are going nowhere, a lawyer can help you take your case to court where they can argue for your rights and get you the money you need to pay off medical bills and any other expenses that came out of the accident. Having an experienced lawyer in court is always a good choice as you should never try to argue your case by yourself if you have no legal training.
Working with Your Employer
Having a lawyer on your side means that they can comb through your company’s policies to make sure that you are taken care of. Every company should have a plan for accidents that occur on business trips so your lawyer can find that information and use it to negotiate with your employer’s insurance company or executives. They will be there to make sure that your rights are being acknowledged by your employer.
Documentation and Evidence
Having a trusted professional to help you work through all of the documentation needed to prove your innocence in a car accident case can save you hours of time and take a lot of stress off your shoulders.
After a car accident, all you want to do is get home, especially if you are on a business trip and away from family and familiarity. Hiring a lawyer from the get-go will make the whole process of clearing your name and getting compensation much easier and help you get your life back on track.