Many accidents happen every year, on the road, at work or simply on the street due to a paving stone that is raised. You can suffer damage as a result of an accident, this is called personal injury.
You can try to recover from personal injury damages yourself. However, claiming personal injury is not easy, in fact, it is extremely complicated, especially if you have suffered serious injuries from an accident. Fortunately, you can often engage a personal injury specialist (Dutch: letselschade specialist) to recover personal injury claims.
Claiming personal injury compensation after a traffic accident
Have you suffered a traffic accident, such as a car accident or a bicycle accident? If a third party is at fault for causing a collision, you are entitled to personal injury compensation (Dutch: letselschade vergoeding). But who is to blame in a traffic accident?
In the case of a car accident, the person who makes the traffic error is obliged to compensate for the personal injury suffered by the traffic victim. For example, in the event of a rear-end collision, the vehicle driving behind the victim is often liable. So, in the event of a rear-end collision or a chain collision, you are entitled to compensation for your personal injury if the other party rear-ends you. But also, in the event of a priority error or a head-on collision because someone drives on your side of the road, liability is usually quickly established, and you are entitled to personal injury compensation.
In some countries, pedestrians and cyclists are extra well protected against injury as a result of a collision. In these countries, including the Netherlands, the personal injury suffered by a cyclist or pedestrian who is involved in an accident is automatically at least partly reimbursed by the personal injury insurer of the person who hit the cyclist or pedestrian.
What to do in the event of a collision?
Have you been hit by another motor vehicle or have you been hit by a cyclist as a cyclist? Your personal injury specialist will of course help you recover your personal injury. However, as an accident victim, you can also help your advocate by doing several things after a collision. These steps increase your chance of successfully claiming your personal injury.
If you have been hit by a car, make sure you:
– Always complete a claim form. The circumstances of the accident are then established and you immediately have the personal details and insurance details of the person who hit you.
– Ask witnesses to make a statement. With a witness statement you can prove that the other party is liable for the damage you suffered as a result of the collision.
– If the other party drives through, always call the police on the spot. This person can then conduct an investigation at the scene of the accident, such as interviewing witnesses and conducting a neighborhood survey.
– Take photos of the damage to vehicles and your injuries.
– Always see a doctor about your injury.
– Submit a personal injury claim in a timely manner, otherwise your right to personal injury compensation may be barred.
Have you experienced an accident? So make sure that you can prove that the other party is liable, otherwise you may be left empty-handed and the damage will be at your own expense.
