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You will have a lot of questions if you have had a car accident, you will now wonder, what happens next? Most importantly, you wonder how your insurance rates are going to be affected by this accident. There were not any serious injuries involved with the accident, so it will be less complicated for your auto insurance company. It should just be the matter of repairs and damages for you and the other involved parties.
In any auto accident someone will be determined to be the at fault party. This is not a simple determination that one party is completely at fault. It could turn out that one driver is 20 percent at fault, leaving the other party 80 percent at fault. Cases vary and the insurance company will be the one to determine what degree of fault will be on each driver. They base their decision on police reports, witness statements, weather conditions, speed, and degree of damage to each vehicle, and other evidence.
If the insurance company has decided you were not at fault, your insurance rates will not be impacted in any negative way.
The final decision for fault with an auto accident falls under the Fault Determination Rules Regulation 668 within the Insurance Act. The at-fault driver can be sued for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages by members of the other driver or his family. This will include damages for any pain and suffering they may have incurred in the accident if they have sufficient evidence and medical documentation to use as proof of injuries. The insurance company for at-fault driver is required to defend their client, which means that your lawyer and you will be dealing with the other drivers’ insurance company, rather than the driver. You may be able to sue for your basic insurance and additionally, for compensation if the other driver is the one found to be at fault.
It is important that you have an experienced personal injury lawyer in Ottawa, to help you defend and protect your best interests. Most of these types of cases do not end in court but are settled beforehand through mediation, settlement negotiations by parties’ lawyers or arbitration. Most car accidents that do not involve serious injury or death result in compensation is handled completely, through an individual’s insurance company but cannot involve a lawsuit.It is important that the lawyer you work with is licensed and experienced. By narrating the details of your case, you will be able to understand the amount you are liable to receive as compensation and how the accident will affect the auto insurance premiums.