If you are injured during a car accident that wasn’t your fault, there is a good chance that you can be compensated for your injuries. Notwithstanding the fact that there are fewer drivers in Alaska than in most of the other United States, hundreds of accidents take place each day. When the negligence of another driver causes you injuries, Vehicle Injury Lawyers in Anchorage should be able to take you from intake through filing pleadings to discovery to trial and, if necessary, beyond, in order to get you compensated for medical bills, property damage, pain and suffering, and more. However, just because you are hurt doesn’t mean you are guaranteed payment. Indeed, there are myriad rules and regulations that experienced vehicle injury lawyers can guide you through in order to make sure you are in compliance. Most important is Alaska Statutes Title 28 (Motor Vehicles) and Title 9 (Code of Civil Procedure). This rule gives you only two (2) years from the date you are injured (or, possibly, from the date you realize you are injured) to bring your lawsuit. Miss this deadline and you are forever barred from bringing your claim. As such, as soon as you are involved in any incident where you even think you are injured, seek immediate medical attention and contact a lawyer. Quality vehicle injury lawyers will also help you understand and deal with Alaska’s “comparative fault” rules. In short, this causes a reduction in any award in proportion to the amount of fault attributed to you for the accident. Essentially, if you prove $150,000.00 worth of injuries, but a judge or jury decides that you were fifty (50%) percent responsible, you will only receive a payment $75,000.00. As such, in addition to proving your injuries, your lawyer must therefore litigate to prove that the incident was entirely the other person’s fault and not yours at all. Failing to seek the advice and counsel of vehicle injury attorneys can torpedo your personal injury claim in Anchorage. Based on the above, it is clear that there is a lot to know before you even start your lawsuit. Pre-lawsuit responsibilities such as insurance paperwork and medical treatment and obtaining records and gathering evidence must be checked for compliance with rules by an attorney. Once you file your suit, there will be the paper discovery process, depositions, trial and maybe more, all of which have specific rules that your vehicle injury lawyer will know. The failure to comply with any of these rules, severely reduces your chances at collecting monies, no matter how strong your claims may be. Therefore, if you have any belief whatsoever that your accident was someone else’s fault and you might be hurt, speak with quality and experienced attorneys so you have the best opportunity to achieve the compensation you deserve.
