Birmingham, AL Accident Lawyers
A no contact accident, as the name suggests, is when a car accident occurs without the car that crashes coming in contact with any other vehicle. For instance, let us assume you are driving along in the middle lane of a highway when a tractor trailer overtakes you from the ride side or right lane and then suddenly starts drifting into your lane without any indication.
In order to avoid smashing into the tractor trailer, you have no option but to steer to the left as quickly as possible and so you do. This sudden maneuver causes you to lose control and you drive through the left lane, the far left lane, and you collide with some bushes that are separating the traffic lanes going in opposite directions. You are not too happy! Neither are the bushes!
This would be a typical example of a no contact accident. Please note that even though the driver of the tractor trailer did not actually hit your car with the tractor trailer, he or she is still technically at fault for the accident and thus liable for the damages caused by the car accident, according to accident lawyers in Birmingham, AL.
The other driver
However, the tractor trailer may have driven away after you crashed so you have no idea who it was. Unless you have a detailed description, a number plate or some other concrete information that you can give to investigators, the other driver is pretty much off the hook (well until they die but that is another topic). This is bad news for the victims because you are not going to be able to get hold of the other driver and sue him or her in order to receive compensation for your damages.
So what can you do in order to recuperate damages?
As explained by Alabama accident attorneys, this is a common occurrence in the real world. In fact, it happens so often that legal counselors and insurers actually have a name for the phenomenon, the phantom driver.
When a phantom driver situation crops up, then the case is no longer between you and the phantom driver since nobody even knows who the phantom driver is. The case is now between you and your car or auto insurance company, point out accident lawyers in Birmingham, AL.
Now you can sort of see this in the movie Transformers with Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) who is being chased by his car. He does not know his car is friendly or any Autobot. He does not know his car can go by the name Bumblebee. He does know that his car is driving autonomously and seems to be following him which would scare just about anyone.
Now Sam Witwicky is so scared in one scene he runs into a junkyard and is about to bitten but two ferocious dogs. This is not a car accident but there was no contact involved and Bumblebee compelled Sam to do something he normally would not do. Fortunately Sam was not hurt and there was not any real damage sustained. No legal pros were needed here.
The corroborating witness
Your insurance policy may require that you have a corroborating witness in case of a no contact accident. A corroborating witness could be a passerby, a nearby resident, or anyone else who witnessed the accident, even someone who was a passenger in your car. However, please note that some policies may require that the corroborating witness be a third party and cannot be someone you know personally and so on. Check with an accident legal representative to determine the best option in your situation.
In case you do not have a corroborating witness, then your legal pro may still be able to help you out provided the state laws allow for it. Your insurance company may still have to compensate you for the damages even though there is no corroborative witness.
Talk to a sagacious Alabama accident lawyer right away to weight the options.
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