As a passenger in a vehicle, you have little control, but the National Safety Council cites some steps – what it calls “passenger rights” – that you can take to improve your safety, even when someone else is in the driver’s seat. These include:
- Act as an extra set of eyes, being aware of your surroundings, and alerting the driver when necessary.
- Act as an extra pair of hands, operating the vehicle’s entertainment system, GPS, etc.
- Refrain from any activity that may cause a distraction, such as pointing out interesting sights along the road.
- If you feel the driver is doing something dangerous, such as texting, say something.
- These are simple actions that can protect you from injury and even save your life.
Protect Your Interests as a Passenger So You Don’t Get Taken for a Ride
If you are injured as a passenger in an accident, you have options. Among them, according to the online consumer resource ValuePenguin, are filing a claim with:
- The other driver’s insurer.
- The insurer of the vehicle you were riding in.
- Your own insurer.
It’s important to note that Ohio requires drivers to have insurance. The minimum requirements are:
- $25,000 bodily injury per person per accident.
- $50,000 bodily injury for all persons per accident.
- $25,000 property damage liability.
Also, under the state’s tort system, a driver can be liable for actual damages (property and medical costs), economic damages (lost wages and earning capacity), and emotional and physical pain and suffering. When you’ve been injured by someone else’s negligence, the law recognizes that you have the legal right to justice.
Getting Help Is Easy
If you are a passenger who has been injured in an accident, you may be out of work, unable to pay your medical bills or to provide for your family. At the same time, you are lost in a legal maze and likely under pressure from an insurance company to settle the case for much less money than you need or deserve because they know you are desperate. The physical, emotional and mental stress may seem unbearable.
Replace your sense of helplessness with hope. Speak to an experienced car accident attorney at the Cleveland-based law firm of Merriman Legal, LLC. Our legal team has handled many passenger car accident cases just like yours throughout Ohio. We have the resources to aggressively investigate your accident, to get positive results and to put your life back on track. You did nothing wrong. You shouldn’t have to pay any type of price.
Contact Merriman Legal, LLC today for a free, no-obligation case consultation. You have questions. They have answers.
