How Do You Recover Compensation if You’re Injured in a Traffic Crash?

Almost any of us could be suddenly injured in a car accident. If you have been injured, and if the accident wasn’t your fault, you can probably recover compensation, but you’ll need a copy of the police accident report as well as the services and advice of a Las Vegas car accident attorney.

It is sometimes quite difficult – and it’s often confusing – to recover compensation after you have been injured in a car crash. One reason for that difficulty and confusion is that several different parties, and not only the other driver, may be liable for the accident. Liable parties may include:

  1. a driver’s employer or parents (the legal owner or owners of the vehicle)
  2. a vehicle’s manufacturer or a parts manufacturer
  3. a governmental agency (if negligent road design or road maintenance caused the crash)

When the drivers and eyewitnesses provide entirely different stories about how a traffic accident happened, a Las Vegas traffic accident lawyer can help you prove which motorist was at fault for the accident and then help you recover compensation for your injuries and related damages.

After an Accident, What Steps Should You Take?

Of course, no Las Vegas car accident lawyer will be at the scene of the accident to provide you with legal advice, so you must take measures at the accident scene to make sure that the at-fault driver will be deemed liable and to ensure that you will be allowed to recover compensation.

Summoning medical assistance for yourself or for anyone else who was injured is the paramount priority after a traffic accident. You are required by Nevada law to exchange personal contact details and car insurance information with the other motorist or motorists involved in the crash.

Take photos of the accident location and the damages to the vehicles. If any witnesses saw the accident, ask for their names and their contact details. Photos and witness statements from persons who do not know you can be strong, persuasive evidence in personal injury cases.

Nevertheless, in many personal injury cases based on traffic collisions, the key piece of evidence will be the written police accident report. Calling the police to the accident scene usually ensures that the accident will be properly investigated and that a report will be written by police officers.

Obtain the Written Police Accident Report

After you’ve been injured, if you choose to bring a personal injury claim, you must obtain a copy of the police accident report. It is not difficult to acquire a copy of that report after a traffic accident in the Las Vegas area:

  1. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department offers several different ways to request a copy of an accident report: in person, online, or by mail. The cost is $12. You’ll need to wait ten days – giving officers time to prepare the report – before you request a copy.
  2. If the traffic accident happened in North Las Vegas, the North Las Vegas Police Department also allows you to request accident reports in person, online, or through the mail for a $5 fee.
  3. If the traffic crash was investigated by the Nevada State Police Highway Patrol (NSPHP), reports are available seven to fourteen days from the date of the crash for a $10 fee online or in person at the NSPHP Southern Command offices at 4615 West Sunset Road in Las Vegas.
  4. If the traffic accident was investigated by a different police agency, ask the officers at the scene how and when you may obtain a copy of their written police accident report.

When Do You Need to Call an Attorney?

If you were injured by a negligent driver, your Las Vegas car accident attorney will examine the evidence in the case, including the written police accident report. Nevada’s deadline for bringing a personal injury claim – the statute of limitations – is two years from the date of the collision.

If you’ve missed that deadline, your case may still qualify as an exception, so you should go ahead and speak to a Las Vegas traffic accident lawyer. Still, it’s best if your attorney can see the evidence while it’s fresh and speak to the witnesses before their memories start to fade.

Do not wait two years and then try to file a claim just before the filing deadline. If a negligent motorist injures you, don’t wait even two weeks to speak with an attorney. Make the call at once to a personal injury attorney after you have been examined and treated by a medical provider.

When You’re an Injured Victim of Negligence, What Does Justice Cost?

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department tells us that more than 19,000 accidents happened in Las Vegas alone in 2022, resulting in more than 11,000 injuries and 152 fatalities.

The good news? It costs nothing for the injured victims of negligent drivers to obtain the legal advice they need and to begin the legal process. If you are injured by negligence in or near the Las Vegas area, your first meeting with an attorney is provided without any obligation or cost.

You pay no lawyer’s fee unless and until your lawyer wins your compensation with a jury verdict or an out-of-court settlement. If a negligent driver injured you, and if you and your lawyer can prove it, you’ll be compensated for your injuries, lost wages, and related losses.

Let Attorney Rebecca Fuller Advise and Represent You

If a negligent driver injures you, the team at Fuller Law Practice will review your injury claim with no cost or obligation. If you move forward with a personal injury claim, you’ll owe no attorney’s fee to Fuller Law Practice until we recover the compensation you are entitled to by law.

For over seventeen years, attorney Rebecca Fuller has been fighting – and prevailing – on behalf of the injured. Our goal at Fuller Law Practice is to resolve your injury claim swiftly and to bring your case to its best possible conclusion with a negotiated settlement or a personal injury trial.

If you suffer an injury in a traffic collision because of a negligent driver in or near the Las Vegas area, or if you are injured this way in the future, call Fuller Law Practice as quickly as possible – at 702-935-4144 – to learn more about your rights or to begin the legal process.