Was rear ended on highway today and started having back pain a few hours later. Exchanged details and pictures with the other driver(he is at fault) and planning to report to insurance soon. In regards to the back pain, should I go see my doctor or to the ER (I'm with kaiser)? How to deal with insurance if it turns out that there is bodily damage?
No police report?!
Go to the ER immediately. Will give you a stronger case than âI got rear ended and booked an appointment with my doctor days later....and ouch.â Anyone could argue that back pain came from anywhere else besides the car especially if youâve been moving around and going about your daily life for days after the accident. Next time get a police report first.
This đ¨ Make sure everything is fully documented. If you're already having pain, be aggressive about treatment, because a) it's the only body you got and b) the lawyers will have a field day if you aren't aggressive. I help people negotiate and work through these types of cases as a side hobby.
Yes get the police report and goto ER ASAP . Then call your insurance and file the claim with the case ID
Just how badly was your bank account hurt? Absolutely do check the balance!
Was waiting for this đ
It happened far a way, 5 hours drive from where I live. I was soking wet from the rain, it wasn't safe to park on the sidelines. I decided to take pictures and continue driving home.
You can report to your DMV at this point and Iâd go to the hospital ASAP to get your injuries documented. But the longer you wait to report/document anywhere officially the weaker your case will be for insurance especially if that person decides to change their story and play dumb. Get off Blind and go handle your situation man!
UhbA53, thank you! How can I report it to Santa Clara, Ca DMV? Do I need to wait for the morning?
Question: Should one report to police right at the scene or later?
If someone is hurt: on the scene. Always. Pull over and call the police. Never admit fault (even if it was your fault; just donât say anything). Get the other driverâs insurance info, etc. Take pictures. If the police can't make it to the scene (which is more likely if there are no injuries), you can always file an accident report through your state's DMV.
How can the rear car spin the story and get away the fault? Insurance is very experienced with this kinda stuff
The first rule of a car accident is you never admit fault (even if it is your fault). Lock that in. Furthermore, if they wanted to explain it away they could always say OP stopped short in front of them and they couldnât react in time resulting in a rear end. They could also say they donât know what that person is talking about at all and were never there. They could really say anything because right now OP doesnât have anything official on record that supports their claim that they were in an accident that caused them bodily harm. Insurance uses documentation to determine claims and right now OP has none which is leaving the gap for the other person to say anything. Or nothing.
Does it mean you need to call cops for every minor accident ? As the story can be turn around by any person, if no cops are around ? Just reporting to insurance is no good ?
It depends on the nature of the accident. In some instances they wonât come (very minor accidents) but you should always call if thereâs any injuries of any kind or significant car damage. If youâre unsure you can call non-emergency (311) and tell them and they will transfer you if itâs a police matter. If the police decline to come you can always go file your own report at the nearest station (again this will help with settlements, future liability or delay of damages so is not a bad idea for a bad accident). You can also file a report with the DMV. You should definitely let your insurance know immediately no matter what.
Is there any good and reasonable dash cams which you find useful for your car ?
Hope you got a police report. Otherwise wait for the surprise later when he says you are at fault