What to Do After a Car Accident

Nothing ever can prepare you for the shock of a car accident. Knowing what to do in the aftermath of a crash can be difficult, especially if you’re disoriented and injured. But taking the right actions after a collision can protect your legal rights and any future injury claims you may need to file. Follow these tips from the car accident lawyers at Trollinger Law LLC.

Remain at the Scene

Under § 50–2201.05c of the District of Columbia’s legal code, you must stop and remain at the scene of a car accident to render reasonable aid and exchange information as necessary. If you can, pull your vehicle over to a secure location on the side of the road and turn on your hazard lights immediately after any collision.

Check for Injuries

Check everyone involved in the crash for injuries. If anyone seems seriously injured or incapacitated, call 911 for emergency assistance.

Call 911

If anyone was injured or killed as a result of the accident, you must call 911 and remain at the scene until law enforcement arrives. However, be careful about what you say to the emergency operator and the police. Anything you say could be used against you later, so keep your statements truthful and brief.

Collect Information

If you can, identify the other driver(s) involved in the crash and exchange information with them, including:

• Names
• Addresses
• Contact details
• Vehicle makes and models
• License plate numbers
• Driver’s license numbers
• Insurance company names
• Insurance policy numbers

Seek Medical Attention

Seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you just feel discomfort or “off” from normal. Not only will this ensure you get the care you need, but it will also establish a report of your condition in your medical records. This component will be an important part of your car accident claim.

Follow Your Doctor’s Care Plan

Attend all follow-up medical appointments and follow all treatment plans exactly. This is the best way to maximize your physical recovery and demonstrate to insurance companies and other investigators that you take your health seriously.

Keep Track of Your Expenses

Keep a record of your medical bills, vehicle repair estimates, and other accident-related receipts or invoices. Providing formal documentation can help you demonstrate precisely how much the accident cost you and support your claim for maximum compensation.

Contact a D.C. Car Accident Lawyer

Don’t count on the insurance company to give you a fair settlement offer from the beginning. Adjusters always make initial offers that are far lower than the true value of a claim. An experienced Washington, D.C. car accident lawyer can provide dependable advice and take over all negotiations with the insurance company for you.

How Trollinger Law LLC Can Help You

At Trollinger Law LLC, our trusted attorneys can determine whether you are entitled to compensation in a free consultation. Call or contact us today to speak with a proven Washington, D.C. car accident attorney.

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Using Your Vehicle for Deliveries? Check Your Auto Insurance First

Food delivery services are now available in almost every town and city in the United States. While these services offer enormous benefits to consumers, the increased number of delivery drivers on the roads also means a greater risk of car accidents. For this reason, these drivers need to secure proper auto insurance before starting work.

What Is Food Delivery Insurance?

If you’re a driver, you know about car insurance. Not only does it protect you from substantial financial losses if a crash occurs, but it’s also legally required in most states.

But what if you’re a delivery driver? If you use your car for business, delivery services, or rideshare services, you will typically not be covered by your personal insurance policy. That exposes you to significant liability if you cause a car accident and cause injury to others.

Types of Food Delivery Insurance Coverage

To have your car insured as a food delivery vehicle, you may be able to add coverage for minimal business use to your personal auto insurance policy, though not all insurance companies offer this option. Another possibility is to obtain a commercial car insurance policy to cover your losses if a crash occurs while you’re making deliveries.

Can You Use Personal Car Insurance Coverage to Deliver Food?

You will have to refer to your insurance policy to determine your coverage options. Still, most personal auto insurance policies will not cover accidents that occur when the driver is delivering food or involved in a similar commercial activity.

If you can use your personal car insurance to deliver food, your insurance company will likely require you to add business-use coverage in the event of an accident while delivering food.

If your personal car insurance will not cover you when you’re making food deliveries, you need to get commercial car insurance. Without proper insurance coverage, you may be on the hook for paying for any injuries and other damages you (or others) sustain in an accident.

What If I Get Hit by a Delivery Driver with No Commercial Insurance?

If you’ve been seriously injured in an accident caused by a delivery driver who doesn’t have proper commercial insurance, you still have options to pursue the compensation you need to cover your medical expenses and other losses.

Depending on the circumstances of the accident, you may be able to seek compensation from the delivery service company, many of which cover their drivers under specific circumstances, such as when they have food in their car to deliver or when they’re logged in to the service app. If the driver is not on duty at the time of the accident, you may still be able to pursue compensation through their private auto insurance policy.

If the delivery driver was uninsured, you may be able to turn to your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, which all drivers are required to carry in Maryland. In this case, your insurance company can reimburse you for your losses up to your policy limits.

It is in your best interest to talk to an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible to determine your best options for seeking fair financial recovery after a crash with a delivery driver.

How a Lawyer Can Help

The car accident attorneys at Trollinger Law LLC have experience helping car accident victims pursue the compensation they need for their medical costs, missed wages, and other losses after being harmed by a negligent driver. Call us or contact us online for a free case evaluation today.

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Can I File for Workers’ Compensation for Work Stress?

Stress is an unfortunate but common problem among Maryland workers. Long hours, overwork, intense pressure from management, and other factors can take a significant psychological and physical toll on employees. But can you file a workers’ compensation claim for stress? Keep reading to learn more from the Maryland workers’ compensation lawyers at Trollinger Law LLC.

Can I Receive Workers’ Comp for Stress and Anxiety?

The short answer is yes ― you can file a claim for mental health injuries at work. The longer answer is that while you can file a workers’ comp stress claim, obtaining benefits can be much more challenging than a claim for a physical injury.

To qualify for workers’ compensation after developing stress, you must have worked for your employer for at least six months, and you must show that your stress is work-related.

There are three broad categories of workers’ compensation claims related to mental health. They are:

• Physical-mental — You’d file this type of claim if you’ve developed a psychological injury after sustaining a physical injury or being diagnosed with an occupational illness. For example, if you lost a hand in a workplace accident and later developed depression due to the injury, you could have a valid physical/mental claim.
• Mental-physical — A mental-physical claim would be appropriate if you sustained an emotional injury that causes a physical injury or illness. This claim might apply if an employee witnessed a traumatic event at a worksite and suffered a heart attack.
• Mental/mental — These claims apply if you develop a mental health disorder after a psychological injury at work. For example, if you witnessed a coworker killed on the job and later developed PTSD, you could file a mental-mental workers’ comp claim.

Anxiety and Stress Claims for First Responders

First responders such as firefighters, police officers, paramedics, or EMTs are at particularly high risk for occupational stress injuries. Mental health issues such as cumulative stress, traumatic stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are concerns for emergency responders due to the high degree of trauma they witness and experience. According to one NIOSH-funded RAND report, “The traumatic nature of major disasters can have significant effects on individual responders and on response organizations as a whole.”

Common Questions About Stress and Workers’ Compensation

• Do you need to sustain a physical injury to receive benefits for stress? Not necessarily. In certain cases, you can still qualify for workers’ comp after developing stress without an accompanying physical injury. An experienced workers’ comp attorney in Maryland can give you a more precise answer specific to your case.
• What does workers’ compensation cover? If your claim is approved, workers’ compensation benefits cover all medical costs related to your injury and a portion of your missed wages. Payments do not cover property damage or pain and suffering.
• Are all employers required to carry workers’ comp? According to the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission, most employers with one or more workers must have workers’ compensation insurance. A handful of workers are exempt from workers’ compensation, including federal government employees, some agricultural workers, some independent contractors, and some sole proprietorships.

How Do You Prove Work-Related Stress?

Proving that your stress is work-related can be difficult. However, there are a few things you can do to help your case, such as:

• Document specific incidents, people, or activities at your job that cause your stress.
• Speak to your manager or Human Resources department about the stress you’re suffering, and document the interaction.
• Seek treatment from a mental health professional and include information on your treatment as part of your claim.
• Get help from a workers’ compensation attorney.

What is Covered for Mental Health and Workers’ Compensation?

Similar to physical injuries, workers’ compensation could cover mental illness or other similar conditions caused by a singular event or conditions that arise over time. If it can be demonstrated that work-related factors caused the illness, you could potentially seek compensation for:

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

For a successful workers’ comp stress claim, employees must show the illness was caused by work-related factors and not personal ones.

Our Workers’ Comp Lawyers Can Help You File for Benefits

All workers’ compensation claims in Maryland are tricky. But if you need to know how to file a claim for stress at work, it’s critical to speak to an experienced workers’ compensation attorney. Emotional injuries are real, but it’s not always easy to get an insurance company to agree.

At Trollinger Law LLC, our Waldorf workers’ compensation lawyers believe the last thing you need while you’re filing a stress claim is the added pressure of filling out all the paperwork. We can collect the necessary documentation and file it for you to minimize the chances of clerical errors that could jeopardize your claim.

Let’s get started now. Call or contact us for a free consultation.

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