Car crashes are eye-opening experiences that can become long term situations. This process can involve dealing with doctors, insurance providers, and sometimes the courts. Depending on the severity of the accident the crash could consume your daily life from days to months, years or even the rest of your life. No matter the length of time, the important thing is to get you back to normal again as quickly as can be, and to get compensated for any injuries sustained from the crash.
While many steps involve recovery regarding health, recovery financially can be very important as well. For this matter, securing a personal injury attorney to assist you in your claim becomes essential.
There are over 6 million car accidents each year, and of these accidents around 3 million are injured. This means around 50% of car accident victims will likely require compensation for their injuries.
If you find yourself injured after a car accident, you could deal with more than just recovery with health in the physical sense. Financially you could be impacted negatively by having to miss work and pay expensive medical bills.
Taking legal action could help you recover these financial losses to allow you ease of mind in your recovery process.
When you are in a car accident, here are some steps to take immediately. These steps are important legally and otherwise because what you do after a car crash could truly make or break your case and your bank.
Here is a checklist to take on the road to recovery, and secure compensation for your injuries.
Step 1: Ensure your safety.
After a car accident, it is important to stay vigilant and ensure your safety. Once you gather yourself, it is crucial to pull over onto a safe space off the road, out of the way of oncoming traffic. If you can turn on your hazard lights to allow other vehicles to understand the severity of your situation. Do not leave your vehicle or you could risk being hit by an oncoming vehicle.
It is important to calm down and know the post-accident process is straightforward. While it is not always the easiest or without stress, there is in fact a path for your case. Keeping calm will likely help you document the wreck with more accuracy and more clearly.
Once you have pulled out of traffic into safety, do a quick check to determine the safety of the vehicle post-crash. If you smell gas, leave your vehicle immediately, and leave the vehicle where it is. Move to the safest nearby place away from the vehicle until officials arrive at the scene. At this point in time, personal safety is key over everything.
Do not leave the scene of the car crash when there was any kind of injury or someone was killed, or this could lead to negative legal consequences. This could allow the other driver to change the narrative of the accident, usually negatively toward your case.
If there are any injuries, make sure you assess where you are hurting and the level of pain. If you need medical attention make sure to call an ambulance so they can send over some emergency responders to assist you.
If you have no or minimal injuries, you can check on the safety of other drivers involved in the crash but do not discuss the crash. Legally, it is important not to get into conversations regarding the accident, which could be used against you later in a legal dispute.
Even if initially you do not feel like you have injuries, it is normal to discover injuries hours or even days after the car accident. This is due to the fact that adrenaline after a crash keeps you from feeling pain or realizing your injuries at that time, and you won’t feel them until that adrenaline rush dissipates.
Therefore, for your legal case, and even for the insurance companies interest, consider going to your local medical provider and getting a check-up. These individuals are skilled at determining whether you have certain injuries when you may not be able to determine this yourself at that time.
Make sure that once you are pulled over and have ensured your own safety that you call 911 to create a police report. In some states this a legal requirement, but for those that it is not, it is smart for your legal case to do so, getting crucial evidence and details from the scene of the crash.
Even if you think you are at fault, it is essential to call 911 and stay on the scene. It is also important both cars stay for the police report to be filed to get the most accurate information possible. If you don’t get a police report you will likely have to report the accident to the DMV later. This could be even more stressful and difficult for both drivers. Therefore, it is smart for all individuals involved in the crash to call the police initially and get the report over with.
Even if there is minimal damage, and no injuries, calling the police never hurts. It is important to get an official record of what happened.
When the police arrive they will create an accident report. This will allow an attorney to evaluate your legal case more easily. The report provides details about the crash, how it occurred, documents the parties and other crucial information about the accident.
It could be helpful to get the officer’s name and badge number and report number to get a copy of the report when it is complete.
It is important not to make small talk at the scene of the crash while waiting for the police. Do not offer your opinion on anything related to the crash, and only exchange necessary information while waiting for the police to come.
Again it is crucial, the less you say about the car crash, the better it will be for you and your future legal case. Do not admit fault.
While you wait for the police to assess the car accident, you can gather the information you may need for your claim. This will help you with legal cases and insurance agencies. Some things that you made need to gather from the other driver from the car crash would be:
· The name of the other driver
· Their address
· Their driver’s license number
· Their license plate number
· Their phone number if they will provide it
· Their insurance information
Looking at the accident itself, it is important you note certain key pieces of information to relay to your lawyer and insurance provider. This is important to do at the scene in case you forget details in the days to come. Courts will also rely more heavily on accounts from the scene opposed to accounts from days, weeks or months later. This is due to the fact that information is often recalled more accurately when an event just occurred, opposed to trying to remember this information later on.
It may even be smart to draw a diagram of the scene or make notes on your smartphone of the incident. It may also be smart to take pictures with your smartphone of the scene of the crash.
Note the following:
· Where the accident occurred
· The road you were on when you crashed
· The direction you and the other car were travelling at the time of the accident
· The driving conditions
· The weather conditions
· Your personal recollection of the crash
· The time and date of the accident
· Police officer’s name and phone number
· Personal notes on what happened during the incident
· Photos of any damage
It is also important not to make small talk with the other individuals involved in the crash. If someone asks you at the scene if you are okay, just note that you are not sure and only your doctor can assess the situation.
After the car crash, it is crucial to contact your insurance company and inform them of the crash. Contacting them does not mean you are at fault. They need to know of the crash just in case the other driver is not ensured. It is also important to determine what insurance coverage would apply. This is typically done after car crashes. They can in turn do their job to best help you in your case.
Assuming the other driver is at fault, for your vehicle, the other driver’s property damage liability will pay for repairs up to their policy limit.
For any of your medical bills, these will be covered up to the limit of the other driver’s bodily injury liability coverage. However if you live in a no-fault state, your own personal injury protection would then cover your medical expenses.
If the other driver does not have insurance, uninsured motorist coverage will pay out. This is required in 21 states and the District of Columbia.
The insurance company is crucial in providing the attorney with key details from the car crash. They can work with the other driver’s insurance as well to come to the best solution for both drivers.
If the other driver’s insurance does not reach out, get into contact with them to let them know you were in a wreck with one of their policyholders. It is also important to note that you only need to provide essential information, and no recorded statements which could later hurt your case and be used against you.
While a driver may wish to pay for damage from a vehicle from their own pockets, it may be wise to file a claim. Even minor damage can cost up to $6,000 depending on the vehicles involved in the accident.
If an accident was the other driver’s fault, you still may need to be prepared to file a claim with your insurance agency and pay a deductible. They will work with the other insurance company and refund a deductible.
If you live in a no-fault state, your personal injury insurance covers you and anyone in the car with you.
The other company will do an investigation to determine if their policyholder is at fault. An adjuster will then get a repair estimate from you to assess damages.
If for some reason their coverage is insufficient, your own coverage could be an option as well. Uninsured motorist coverage would likely work just as well. Deductibles for both will also usually apply.
After you have taken the steps above, it is important to contact a lawyer to take your case, and provide important details from the car accident.
It is important to find a firm that has specialty and experience in car accident cases. This will give you the best chance of success.
Hiring an attorney can put someone in your corner who not only understands your states laws, but can put all their efforts into working on your case while you work on getting back to your everyday life, and becoming your happiest and best self again.
Important details to keep track of are medical expenses and a record of medical visits. These can be crucial in getting compensation back from the other driver, and negotiating with insurance providers.
Talk to an attorney about injuries from the car accident, and any and all information from the car accident to make your best case.
The Cochran Firm has experience and specialties in dealing with car accident cases, as well as truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, and bus accidents as well.
If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed in an auto accident, you need a dedicated attorney on your side. The experienced auto accident lawyers at The Cochran Firm have a proven record of helping victims of injury get maximum compensation. We are here to take your case, fight for your rights, and help you get the justice you are due. If you are in need of an auto accident attorney, please contact The Cochran Firm online or by calling (800) 843-3476 today to be put in touch with a lawyer in your area.
The attorneys at The Cochran Firm also accept cases ranging from boating injuries to airplane accidents. Therefore, no matter the vehicle you were in when your accident may have occurred, the experienced auto accident attorneys at The Cochran Firm can help you get the compensation you need to make you road to recovery the easiest and most efficient.
Our attorneys work with a network of experts to thoroughly investigate car crashes and identify all the contributing factors to the crash. The Cochran firm utilizes this information to create to build solid evidence-based cases that will greatly improve the likelihood of a successful outcome. If necessary, the attorneys can take the case to trial to get you’re the compensation you deserve.
To schedule a free consultation with one of our auto accident attorneys, please contact us today. We maintain offices throughout the United States, better enabling us to fight tirelessly for the rights of injury victims in all areas of the country.
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