Seatbelt Safety: If you become injured in a car accident that was caused by the other driver’s negligence, and you were not wearing your seatbelt at the time of the accident, you can actually severely hurt your chances at receiving compensation for your injuries.
Insurance companies are a for-profit business, which means it is their job to pay you as little as possible during the settlement process. If they find out you did not have a seatbelt at the time of the accident, they will use this as a reason to offer you less compensation for your injuries.
Regardless of who caused the accident, you will be held partially responsible for the injuries that you suffered if you were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. This means, depending upon the percentage of fault that you will be found guilty of, is the percentage that will be taken out of your settlement offer.
For example, if you are found 10% at fault for the injuries that you suffered, you will receive 10% less in compensation, and so on.
The insurance company’s argument will be, that had you been wearing your seat belt at the time of the crash, your injuries would have been far less severe. Even if it was the carelessness of the other driver, you will still be partially blamed for not following the law and wearing a seat belt while driving.
Unfortunately, the percentage of fault is determined on a case-to-case basis, so that means depending on the circumstances of the accident, you may be found more at fault than you think.
Obviously, when you are involved in this type of accident, you need the help of an attorney to fight for you and ensure you’re not taken advantage of by the insurance company.
