According to the National Safety Council, an estimated 18,780 people died in traffic crashes in the first half of 2025. This decrease represents significant progress, showing the possibilities of safety strategies in communities.
But since car accidents are still happening, there are still injury claims that are filed for these accidents. And they are governed by a combination of state and federal laws to determine liability, damages, and the process of filing the claim. They establish how fault is established and what compensation is available for the victims.
Let’s learn how car accident laws affect injury claims to protect your rights and pursue justice.
Essential Steps to Take Immediately After a Car Accident
The first thing to do after a car accident is to examine the injuries of everyone involved. Call for medical help immediately to make sure everyone is accounted for.
Park your car in a secure area before you exchange your essential information with the other driver. Ask for their names, contact details, and insurance information.
You should take photographs of the accident site that show all vehicle damage and road sign elements that need documentation. You need to report the accident to your insurance company while maintaining complete truthfulness.
You have finished your paperwork, which enables you to use your legal rights for dealing with opposition, because legal action will start soon for both sides of the dispute.
How to Determine Fault in a Car Accident?
The process begins with evidence collection. In this process, you will need to capture images of the accident site and the traffic signs. Include the damage to the vehicles and the injuries sustained.
Interview witnesses to gather their contact details. Their statements will prove to be crucial when recounting the incident.
The next step requires you to examine police reports, which contain essential information about the event. Examine traffic laws that might have been breached during the incident.
Try to evaluate the driver’s behaviour before the accident. Check if they showed speeding, distracted driving, or tailgating. These are indicators that can determine liability.
In this case, you need to create a depiction of the sequence of the accident. This depiction will assist the claims process and upcoming legal procedures.
Insurance Policies and Their Role in Car Accident Claims
The understanding of insurance policies is very important in any road traffic accident claims issues, as they govern the handling of any kind of compensation. Your policy details include the coverage maximums, deductible fees, and the kind of protection offered, whether it be liability, collision, or comprehensive insurance.
The insurer now investigates your settlement applications to establish the accident facts and decide which claims, if any, are covered by your policy. The amount you receive from your insurance policy depends on its specific terms and conditions, which are defined by each individual policy.
The insurance of the driver at fault would cover the damages if someone thinks that another motorist caused an accident. Your insurance might pay for the damages if the driver lacks insurance or their policy doesn’t cover the total damages.
However, in a no-fault state, each driver’s insurance company is responsible for paying their medical expenses and other losses resulting from a car accident, regardless of who was at fault, according to New Haven personal injury attorney Louis Rubano.
Many people have said throughout the years that people need to learn how to optimise insurance for their policy claims.
How State Laws Can Affect Your Compensation?
The laws of your state will determine the compensation amount you may receive from your car accident claim. The different state liability regulations determine which methods you can use to obtain compensation for your injuries.
Some states follow a “fault” system where the insurance of the at-fault driver pays for damages. The ‘no-fault systems’ that exist in many areas require you to use your insurance for compensation while they restrict your ability to file legal claims.
The states establish their own statutes of limitations, which specify the maximum period for claim filing. The deadline serves as a boundary, which, if you cross it, will end your chance to receive compensation.
Common Challenges in Injury Claims
You can expect to encounter obstacles when trying to get compensation for your injuries.
The first obstacle that occurs during multi-party accidents requires investigators to determine who caused the accident because they need official documents and eyewitness accounts, which they must use as evidence to support their case, which they built on an initial assumption.
The first reason for this problem exists because most insurance companies need to control their financial costs, which leads them to conduct multiple negotiation sessions. The insurance company will investigate your claims about both your injuries and the circumstances of the accident.
You will face another obstacle, which will delay your claim process because you need to pay for all your medical expenses and hospitalisation treatments.
The statute of limitations will prevent you from obtaining fair compensation if you wait too long to file your claim. In that sense, you need to act quickly to have a chance of recovering the settlement you deserve.
