Legally, every vehicle owner in Alberta should have vehicle insurance for his vehicle. If the vehicle owner does not have insurance and uses his vehicle, especially on highways, he could face fines and other penalties. In case the vehicle owner is involved in an accident, the insurance company will compensate those who are involved in the accident for the injuries and other losses they suffer.
However, in some cases, the vehicle whose driver was responsible for the accident does not have insurance. The procedure which the accident victim should follow to get compensation are described in detail here. You deserve compensation for injury after a collision for which you were not at fault; if you can’t get the right financial assistance, you need help from Calgary injury and car accident lawyers like Edwards Injury Law.
Vehicles Without Insurance
There are multiple reasons why some vehicle owners do not have valid reason for their vehicle. In some cases, they may have forgotten to renew the insurance, especially for vehicles which are not used often. A few vehicle owners may not have sufficient funds to pay the vehicle insurance due to financial problems. In a few cases, the driver of the vehicle who is responsible for the accident may flee from the accident site or suggest treating your injury under the table to avoid taking responsibility for compensating the accident victims. In these cases, the accident victim should treat the vehicle owner as not having insurance.
Procedure
The extent of damage in vehicle accidents will differ. Often the injuries are not serious, and in these cases, the drivers and passengers involved in the accident should contact the police and file a report of the accident. The report will usually document the injuries of those involved and also the damage to the vehicle. The information in the police report will be of great help to the personal injury lawyer who the accident victim may hire, to get adequate compensation, if the vehicle is not insured. For serious accidents the accident victim should ensure that the police are on scene and that the report is filed as soon as possible.
Vehicle Owners
Most vehicle owners have purchased vehicle insurance for their car or other vehicle. So even if the car responsible for the accident does not have insurance, the car owner or driver or other person with insurance can still get some compensation from their own insurance company. After reporting the accident to the police, the car driver should contact their insurance company to get compensation for the accident. It is also advisable to contact a personal injury lawyer to get compensation, especially for serious accidents, where there is more damage to the vehicle or the injuries are serious.
Uninsured Persons
In some accidents, the pedestrians who are injured do not have any kind of insurance, so they cannot get compensation for their financial losses. Additionally, some of the passengers in the vehicle involved in the accident, may not have their own car insurance. In these cases, they should contact competent Calgary injury lawyers who can help them get compensation under the Motor Vehicles Accident Claims (MVAC) program. The MVAC act was passed in 1947 to help accident victims to get compensation even if the driver responsible for the accident was not insured or could not be identified, because he fled the accident scene.
Provision
Under the program, all the victims of a specific accident are entitled to a total compensation of $200,000 or less. If there is more than one person who is suffering losses due to the accident, the maximum total compensation which all the victims can claim is $200,000. In case of major accidents, there may be multiple claimants, and the total compensation amount of $200,000 will be distributed among these accident victims in the proportion of their actual claims. Accident victims should be aware that compensation under MVAC is only available if there is no other option including partial insurance coverage to help the victim get compensation.
Legal Help
Accident victims should be aware that usually the claims under the MVAC will be considered only if they are filed within ninety days of the accident. It is advisable to collect all the evidence related to the accident, especially the police report and contact a competent personal injury lawyer in Calgary, preferably specializing in vehicle accidents. The lawyer will review the information available and advise the accident victim on the best way to get compensation. Many of the better personal injury lawyers will only charge their client, if they are able to get compensation from the driver responsible or under the MVAC.
