You will find six million automobile accidents in the united states every year. Due to these accidents, approximately three million people are injured.
If you’re injured in a vehicle accident, you could end up in car accidents or missing work and fighting expensive medical bills. If you opt to take legal action resistant to the negligent party, the compensation you obtain may help cover your losses.
Listed below are five steps you will need to take soon after a vehicle accident. The way you react following the crash will make or break your legal case.
1. Make certain You’re Safe
You may feel disoriented and shaky after an automobile crash. That’s normal. Take a breath and make an effort to focus. Then, turn your hazard lights on, and when possible, pull your automobile into a safe space, taken care of of traffic.
In the event that you smell leaking gas, escape your vehicle immediately. In the event that you don’t think it’s safe to operate a vehicle your vehicle, simply leave it where it is. If you’re uncertain about where you can move your vehicle, you can wait before police arrive.
Regardless, put your individual safety most of all.
Also, make sure you remain at the scene of the automobile crash. Leaving the scene could put you in danger. It might also make it difficult that you can later file a claim.
In the event that you leave a vehicle accident where someone was injured or killed, you could see yourself in significant legal trouble. So stay what your location is and make an effort to remain calm.
Injuries
For the time being, examine your injuries. Were you hurt enough to need medical assistance? If so, call 911 to allow them to send emergency responders.
If you’re okay to go, you can examine on the other drivers mixed up in crash, to see if they’re safe. But don’t enter conversations with them about the accident.
Oftentimes, you won’t feel pain from a personal injury until a couple of days following the crash. That’s because your adrenaline is usually working overtime immediately after a wreck. This may prevent you from feeling pain or realizing you’ve been injured until after you’ve calmed down. This may be hours or even days later.
Consider going to the er, visiting your loved ones doctor, or simply an urgent care clinic. This can help see whether you have any injuries, and exactly how they have to be addressed.
2. Call the authorities
After moving your vehicle to safety, call the authorities and tell them you were in an automobile crash. In a few states, including Tennessee, you are legally necessary to report the accident.
The police will need a major accident report, which can only help an legal professional when evaluating your legal case. This report will detail what happened, document all parties involved, and offer information an attorney’s office will require.
Also, make an effort to obtain the investigating officer’s name and badge number, as well as the report number to enable you to get yourself a copy when it’s ready.
WHEN YOU Wait
Avoid small talk when you wait for the authorities to reach. Also, it’s essential that you don’t offer your judgment in what caused the crash. Instead, exchange the required information and await the police to reach.
The less you say about the crash, the better.
3. Gather the reality
While you await the police to gauge the automobile wreck, gather the info you will need for your claim. For instance, you’ll need the other driver’s:
Name
Phone number
Address
Driver’s license number
License plate number
Insurance information
Next, take a peek around. Gather information about details about the car crash (what happened both before and after). For instance:
The date and time of the accident
Where in fact the accident occurred
The street you were on
The nearest cross street
Which direction you and the other car were traveling
The driving conditions
Your recollection of what happened
In the times following the wreck, you’ll likely forget certain information on what happened. So make an effort to take these notes while you’re still on the scene. This way, you should have the reality and what you remember documented while they’re still fresh in your memory. In the event that you can’t take down notes at the scene, try to do it once you are back, following the wreck.
Did other people witness the crash? Remove their contact information as well. Your legal professional can contact them later to get their account of what happened.
Lastly, make an effort to get as much images as possible. Your insurance provider will want photography evidence when you make your claim. Try to take photographs of the next:
How and where in fact the cars can be found
Where on the road the accident occurred
Signs of the closest crossroads
Property damage
Injuries
4. Contacting Insurance firm
After the car crash, you’ll also want to get hold of your insurance provider. While you may well not be responsible, you will need to tell them that you were in a wreck, in the event the other driver is uninsured. Your insurance provider can also help provide your legal professional with useful information about the other driver and any insurance they could have.
In the event that you don’t hear from the at-fault party’s insurance provider in a few days following the wreck, you should call them and tell them that you were involved with a wreck with one with their drivers.
When speaking with the other insurance provider, offer only the standard information as it can be. What’s more, if you will get an legal professional involved, usually do not provide a recorded statement. These usually get back to hurt your case, and can be utilized against you by the insurance provider.
5. Call an attorney
If you received health care for injuries related to the wreck, make sure you keep an archive of your physician or clinic visits, as well as medications and treatments you obtain.
Then, call an legal professional and speak to them about the wreck, your treatment, and any information you think is important to allow them to evaluate your case.
Picking a law office that has experience in car crash cases can help you to get the compensation you have entitlement to.