Steps To Take If You Have Been Injured In an Auto Accident
Steps to Take Immediately After an Accident Occurs: ·Do not leave the scene, but do move your vehicle out the flow of traffic, if possible.
·Try to locate any injured parties and make sure that no one is in harm's way.
Do not move an injured person unless it is necessary to prevent further harm.
·Call for help.
Request emergency medical attention if needed and always contact law enforcement, even if no one appears to be seriously hurt.
·Get all contact and insurance information.
This includes the full names, addresses, and phone numbers of everyone involved, including other drivers, passengers and witnesses.
Also write down the insurance carriers, policy numbers, and driver's license numbers of all drivers, and license plate numbers, year, make, and model of every vehicle involved.
·Photograph the scene.
This includes the vehicles involved, the surrounding area, skid marks, injuries, and any roadway defects.
Take pictures of anything and everything that could possibly be significant to your case.
Irrelevant photos can be discarded later after your attorney has reviewed them.
·Seek medical attention.
Once you have been given permission to leave the scene, seek immediate medical attention, even if you do not believe you are injured.
You may be in shock, and you may have injuries that you are not aware of.
Some injuries may seem minor or do not present immediate symptoms but can still be present and cause serious medical problems.
·Document everything.
Write down everything that you remember about the accident, as soon as possible.
The more time that passes the more likely it is that you will forget important details.
In the days, weeks, and months following the accident, you may be approached by insurance agents or attorneys asking you to sign papers or even accept a payment for damages.
Do not sign anything.
Talk to your attorney first.
You may be signing away your rights or even accepting responsibility for part or all of the accident.
Steps to take in the days following an auto accident include: ·Call an experienced auto accident attorney.
While you may not plan intend to file a lawsuit, others involved in the accident may file a claim against you.
Even if the circumstances of the accident seem obvious to you, you may have to fight the insurance company.
·Report the accident to your insurance company.
·Continue medical treatment.
Although you may be intimidated by the potential medical bills, you must continue your recommended medical treatment.
·Try to locate any injured parties and make sure that no one is in harm's way.
Do not move an injured person unless it is necessary to prevent further harm.
·Call for help.
Request emergency medical attention if needed and always contact law enforcement, even if no one appears to be seriously hurt.
·Get all contact and insurance information.
This includes the full names, addresses, and phone numbers of everyone involved, including other drivers, passengers and witnesses.
Also write down the insurance carriers, policy numbers, and driver's license numbers of all drivers, and license plate numbers, year, make, and model of every vehicle involved.
·Photograph the scene.
This includes the vehicles involved, the surrounding area, skid marks, injuries, and any roadway defects.
Take pictures of anything and everything that could possibly be significant to your case.
Irrelevant photos can be discarded later after your attorney has reviewed them.
·Seek medical attention.
Once you have been given permission to leave the scene, seek immediate medical attention, even if you do not believe you are injured.
You may be in shock, and you may have injuries that you are not aware of.
Some injuries may seem minor or do not present immediate symptoms but can still be present and cause serious medical problems.
·Document everything.
Write down everything that you remember about the accident, as soon as possible.
The more time that passes the more likely it is that you will forget important details.
In the days, weeks, and months following the accident, you may be approached by insurance agents or attorneys asking you to sign papers or even accept a payment for damages.
Do not sign anything.
Talk to your attorney first.
You may be signing away your rights or even accepting responsibility for part or all of the accident.
Steps to take in the days following an auto accident include: ·Call an experienced auto accident attorney.
While you may not plan intend to file a lawsuit, others involved in the accident may file a claim against you.
Even if the circumstances of the accident seem obvious to you, you may have to fight the insurance company.
·Report the accident to your insurance company.
·Continue medical treatment.
Although you may be intimidated by the potential medical bills, you must continue your recommended medical treatment.