Filing a Distracted Driving Claim in Fort Collins: How a Lawyer Can Help You Navigate the Process – Guest Post

There is no denial that distracted driving remains the number one cause of a car accident in most, if not all, parts of the United States, Fort Collins, Colorado included. If you happen to be the victim of an accident caused by such a driver, then most definitely you will have many questions running in your mind as to what next. Filing a claim can be a whole lot of trouble considering the injuries, damages, and insurance companies. The following article shall explain in steps how a lawyer would be important in the search for justice and compensation.

Understanding Distracted Driving

Generally speaking, for most intents and purposes, distracted driving can be defined as anything which causes a driver to veer his attention away from the road. This generally includes:

• Texting or operation of a smartphone
• Eating or drinking
• To change the radio or GPS
• Talking with passengers
• Daydreaming or become distracted

Lawful texting and driving is prohibited in Fort Collins, Colorado, but all the above-mentioned kind of laws can’t wholly stop the incidents of distracted driving, and every time whenever it happens the sufferings are severe injuries and damages apart from the emotional and psychic traumas.

Some Common Consequences of the Accidents Caused by Distracted Driving

Following are some of the after-effects that quite a great number of victims will have to go through:

• Physical Injury: The bone might be fractured, damage to the spinal cord, whiplash, or even head injuries. 
• Mental Agony: It mainly manifests as anxiety, PTSD, or depression. 
• Economic Loss: Treatment costs; income losses; new car replacement expense also goes up.
• Litigation Complexity: It requires proof and expertise that proves fault and demands compensation with determination.

Steps to Take After a Distracted Driving Accident in Fort Collins

If you’ve been involved in a distracted driving accident, follow these steps to protect your rights and strengthen your claim:  

Ensure Safety and Call Emergency Services

• Check for injuries and move to a safe location if possible.
• Anonymity: Immediately after the accident, call 911 for the police and emergency services.

Document Evidence from Accident Scene

• Snaps of the car, damages and road conditions and visible injuries to persons involved.
• Exchange contact information with the other driver, witness and responding officers.

See a Doctor

• In cases where there is a minor injury that one has sustained, it is very important to seek an immediate check up with a doctor.
• The medical records will be some of the important evidence you can base your claim on.

Notify Your Insurance

• Though this is something you have got to do about the accident, have your attorney speak to you first, rather than give out any detailed statements.

Avail the Services of an Attorney Dealing in Distracted Driving Cases

He will push it through to the finish line and guide you concerning where maximum just compensation can be arrived at for damages.

How an Attorney Can Help guide through on your Distracted Driving Case

Cases dealing with the law are not a piece of cake to put up with by one self. Enumerated below is how a Fort Collins attorney conversant with distracted driving can have your back through the following ways;

Legal Consultation and Advice

An experienced attorney will review your claim to see whether you have a valid compensation case. He can then go into details of the nature of compensations you are likely to be entitled to, based on the type of your injuries, consequential losses, cost of medical treatment, lost wages, and pain and suffering amongst others.

Gather and Preserve Evidence

You may be requested to give high evidence to present your case of liability against distracted driving. This would get an attorney who provides whether or not a driver was on the phone texting at such time, or obtain statements from passerby that witnessed the accident who can give insight about what happened. The experts relied on for reconstruction would give details to specifications on what precisely happened at that particular time.

Dealing with the Insurance Company

Insurance adjusters try to settle a claim for the lowest amount possible. A lawyer will negotiate on your behalf with the at-fault party for a reasonable settlement.  Serve as spokesperson on your behalf in order not utter any statements that damage the claim.

Filing a Lawsuit, If Necessary

If it were not a case that could have been settled, your Lawyer would have filed a lawsuit on your behalf and represented you in court to ensure due dates or any other requirements imposed by law are met.

Why Local Knowledge Counts in Fort Collins

Reasons abound to deal with a Fort Collins Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer who knows all about Fort Collins and the state of Colorado laws among many others. Let’s see what interests you:

• Court Knowledge: This expedites the process because of familiarity with enough of the local judicial procedures.
• Community Knowledge: Familiarity with ‘hazards’ in public and normal driving behavior.
• Local Resources: Availability of physicians, investigators, and experts within the state.

Frequently Asked Questions for Distracted Driving Claims

What is the statute of limitations to file a claim in Colorado?

Generally, in Colorado, a claim based upon a personal injury must be commenced within two years of the date the injury occurred. It is very important, however, that you immediately seek a lawyer to preserve evidence and preclude the loss of limitations.

What can I recover?

The damages you may recover include but are not limited to economic damages consisting of medical expenses, lost wages, and any other property repairs.

• Non-Economic Damages: pain, suffering, and emotional distress. 

Can I still file a claim if I was partially at fault?

Yes, Colorado remains part of that small minority of states retaining the **modified comparative negligence rule**: you can recover provided you are less than 50 percent liable, but your award shall reduce based on your attributed percentage of fault.

Wrap Up

You really should not do it yourself, as distracted driving claims in Fort Collins are no easy matters. Have such confidence in the process, knowing you’ll get your due because of the commitment and experience that the professional lawyer will accord while handling such matters. He represents you all the way, starting from collecting the evidence right through negotiations with your insurance company, when you were putting your life together following this terrible accident.

After all, if you or your loved one gets injured in an incident involving distracted driving, well, you have literally nothing to lose by waiting. Please speak with a Fort Collins lawyer today about your situation and take one step into what could be the best justice for your rehabilitation. 

It is just these things-through energetic and determinative acts-catching hold of the law in just such adverse situations, making their way into an opportunity toward an assertion of one’s right in the interest of justice and peace.