Can I Seek Compensation For A Fender Bender?

Have you experienced a fender bender in Edmonton, and you’re not sure if it qualifies as a minor car accident? Read on below to learn more about minor car accidents and whether you have the right to pursue compensation for your injuries.

What Are Minor Car Accidents?

Typically, minor car accidents involve slight damage to your car and don’t impede your vehicle’s ability to operate. In most minor car accidents, the impact of the collision is not powerful enough to cause any severe injuries, which usually causes the drivers to settle through their insurance companies. Minor car accidents can include:

Minor Fender Benders
Small Dents On The Vehicle
Busted Tires
Broken Headlight/Taillight
Cracked Windshield

If you’re able to drive away from the scene of the accident safely without any physical damages or requiring major car repairs, then you have probably just had a minor car accident.

Should I Call A Lawyer For A Minor Car Accident?

When experiencing a car accident, it is absolutely normal to feel like it had a major impact on you. Not only can it affect you physically, but it can also affect your emotional and mental state for a while as you try to make sense of things. Surely, all accidents are terrible; however, when it comes to personal injury law, there is a difference between major and minor car accidents. After a minor car accident, your personal injury lawyer might recommend taking the settlement as the cost of hiring a lawyer and taking your case to trial would be much higher than the settlement itself.

With that said, not all minor car accidents should be settled. In fact, some lawyers could encourage you to settle, simply because they aren’t equipped to handle your case. To avoid finding yourself in such a situation, it is crucial that you contact a professional personal injury law firm in Edmonton with an unrivalled record of success in Alberta and over 250 years of combined injury law experience. No matter the accident, James H. Brown and Associates are seriously committed to all our clients and their families and will always provide you with the legal advice that is best for your situation.

How Do I Know When To Contact An Injury Lawyer

There are some cases where clients believe that they have experienced a minor car accident, only to realize a few weeks later that they have been seriously affected by the accident. As a rule of thumb, we always advise our clients to monitor their physical wellness for two weeks after an accident. Most minor car accidents don’t physically affect the drivers, but in some cases, the physical strain might start to appear a few hours or days after an impact.

For instance, whiplash is a common injury caused by rear-end car accidents, where the driver or passenger can feel a neck sprain or strain. Whiplash injuries can get better after a couple of weeks by following a precise medical treatment plan that includes exercise and medication; however, some whiplash injuries can cause drivers or passengers to have chronic neck pain complications. Unfortunately, whiplash symptoms don’t always occur right after an accident – sometimes, it can take hours, days or even weeks for the injury to cause pain. That’s why it is vital that you get checked out as soon as possible after the accident and seek medical attention to find any hidden injuries that you might not be aware of.

Contrary to common belief, whiplash-related injuries can be pursued for compensation as they fall under Alberta’s Minor Injury Regulations and the Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols. If you’re unsure as to whether your injury is affected by the cap or not, you can call James H. Brown and Associates for a free injury claim evaluation.

Due to the complicated regulations of the minor injury cap, you need to have an experienced lawyer to help you navigate your settlement and ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. If you or your family has suffered from a whiplash injury, you should take the following steps:

Visit your family physician to assess your injuries
Document all the tests you have received and medications you are prescribed
Contact James H. Brown and Associates to help determine whether you have a case or not.

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