When Should I File a Third-Party Personal Injury Claim?

Third-party personal injury claims refer to liability claims that injured people are legally entitled to bring when another person or entity has injured them. An insured individual will bring a first-party claim against their own insurance company, whereas a third-party claim is when an individual brings a claim against another person’s insurance. Usually, third-party claims are filed when another person or business injures the claimant through their reckless actions.

But how are third-party personal injury claims filed, and what are specific examples of moments when they would be filed? Keep reading to find out, and if you’ve recently been injured due to someone else’s reckless actions, be sure to call a Darlington County personal injury lawyer right away.

When Should I File a Third-Party Insurance Claim?

A third-party personal injury claim may be filed in several kinds of personal injury cases. In fact, you may even be able to file many third-party personal injury claims all at once against multiple responsible parties.

Here are some common situations when third-party injury claims might be filed.

Workplace Injuries

You may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if you were injured at your workplace. The third-party claim, however, would be against another person or entity that caused your injuries. Drivers who are transporting goods for their company might be hit by another driver on the road, and in that case, the driver could have a third-party personal injury claim against the at-fault driver who hit them. Supposing the reason the at-fault driver hit the claimant was due to a defective car part, the driver may also have a third-party claim against the manufacturer or distributor of that car part.

Defective Products

Car parts aren’t the only kinds of defective products that can hurt us. Almost every product we use in day-to-day life, especially in this age of technology, has the potential to malfunction in a physically hurtful way. As alluded to above, when injured by a defective product, you may have third-party personal injury claims against the manufacturer, the distributor, the seller, and any other company involved within the supply chain.

How Do I File Such a Claim?

As the claimant, you would begin by reaching out to the insurance provider which covers the person or business responsible for your injury. Once in communication, you’ll speak with an insurance adjuster and negotiate the amount of your compensation. For example, if you were hit by a driver, you’d call their insurance and be sure to have on hand information like the other driver’s name, phone number, license, and registration number.

It is always in your best interest to have a lawyer on hand as early as possible. Your lawyer will have dealt with countless similar cases and be able to navigate the arguments thrown by the insurance company.