Here are the basic steps to making and filing your car accident claim.

Call the Police After the Accident

If there are potentially serious injuries, or if either of the cars look damaged, you should notify the police. They will come to the scene and assess what happened.

They will make sure that all parties are safe and that the details of what happened are recorded. Make sure to exchange personal information with the other driver, including the details of their insurance coverage.

Notify Your Own Insurance Company After the Accident

As soon as reasonably possible you want to notify your own insurance company about the accident. Tell them what happened and provide the details that they ask for. You SHOULD NOT talk to the other party’s insurance company right away.

Notify the Defendant’s Insurance Company of the Claim at a Later Date

When you begin the process of filing a car accident claim in Nova Scotia, the first thing you or your personal injury lawyer will do is notify the other persons insurance company that you are making a claim. You will be asked to provide the details about your claim, and what damages you are seeking.

Sometimes the facts about your accident will be relatively simply and not in dispute. The other insurance company may give you an offer that you like, and you can settle right away. This is rare. Insurance companies often start negotiations by offering you a very small sum, just to see if you will accept it.

Insurance companies will often dispute your claim. They may claim you were at fault, attribute your injuries to pre-existing conditions, or dispute whether you are injured at all.

The process after this point can get complicated. You can counteroffer, but you will have to dispute the arguments of the insurance company, tender your own evidence, and possibly even hire your own medical expert.

At this point you should consider hiring legal representation. An experienced and dedicated personal injury lawyer, like the lawyers at NOVA, are experts at guiding you through this process and maximizing the value of your claim. If you or someone you know was injured in a car accident, call NOVA Injury Law for FREE CASE REVIEW at 1-800-262-8104 . Dealing with the aftermath of injuries is what we do every day. We help injured people get access to the compensation they need so you can focus on your recovery. Take advantage of our free case review process. You will learn about your rights, we’ll answer your questions, and you’ll learn what to do next about your car accident injury claim.