Being involved in a car accident as a college student can severely affect your studies, whether you were physically injured or not. It’s important to recognize the profound ways that the car accident you were involved in affected you, whether it’s physically, emotionally or financially. This is because it may be possible to gain back damages as a result of going through the settlement process.

Your first step should be to gain a good understanding of where the law stands in the state in which the car accident occurred. In Ohio, drivers are required to carry liability car insurance to cover damages that could occur in an accident. Ohio is an at-fault car insurance state, which means that damages are covered by the insurer of the party that was to blame for the accident. If you believe that you were not to blame for the accident, it is important to hold the other party responsible.

How can I prove fault after a car accident?

An investigation will be made by your insurance company after the car accident, and they will work to establish what led up to the event. If you have any evidence relating to the accident, you should provide this information. You may have seen the other driver using their phone before the collision, for example. This could suggest that they were engaging in distracted driving. This type of eyewitness evidence can be verified through further investigations, for example through tracking their call history.

What damages may I be able to claim?

In theory, you will be entitled to the coverage of all financial expenses as well as damages for the pain and suffering that the accident caused you. You may be interested in whether you can gain compensation for missed classes due to the car accident. While compensation for individual classes is not common, if you had to drop out of college as a result of extensive physical or mental injuries, you may be able to gain back the costs of tuition.

If you have been injured in a car accident as a student in Ohio, you must take action to understand the law and to gain the damages that you deserve.