Driving your car is supposed to be a safe and enjoyable experience. There is nothing more sickening than hearing a thud on your vehicle as you drive and realize you have gotten into an accident. What you do immediately after determines a lot for your case if it was to go to court, or during negotiation with your insurance company. Any car accident lawyer will advise you to do the following if you have been involved in an accident.
Take a Moment and Relax
One of the most basic and important steps is to calm down, take a minute to sit and breathe deeply to avoid panicking. Turn on your emergency flashers in order to signal other drivers that there has been an incident and that they should go around you to prevent further injuries. If there are other occupants in the vehicle, check to make sure that they have not sustained any injuries and if so dial for medical help.
Inspect the Damage
If it is safe to get out, then do so and assess the damage to the vehicle, check if the occupants in the other vehicle or pedestrians have been injured (if the accident involves more than your car), if any call medical help. Dial 911 and try to determine your location by looking for any street signs and the nearest major intersection. On arrival, the police are expected to make a report on the facts of the accident by inspecting the scene and interviewing everybody involved.
Control Information Flow
One should not discuss the accident with the other party at all. Discussion on the accident should be limited to your insurance representative, police officer on the scene and your car accident lawyer. The police should also assist the parties involved exchange contact information and insurance information for determination.
Take Photos
Take pictures of the scene using a camera or your phone’s camera this from several angles and make sure to cover as much detail as possible. If possible, take a video recording of the scene including any skid marks, position of the vehicles and walk around the scene carefully to avoid interfering with potential evidence. The photos and videos will later be analyzed by a car accident lawyer for a clearer picture of what type of mishap he or she is dealing with. All the information collected during this stage is crucial and should be preserved to avoid its distortion or deterioration.
Collect Information
It is imperative that you collect as much information as possible at this stage to aid in resolving your accident claims quickly and hustle free. This information could prove invaluable when ironing out any legal issues that may come up. Some of the details required are contact information of all involved like names, phone numbers, addresses and insurance details.
Collect as much information as possible on witnesses so your attorney will know whom to call if investigations are started on the incident. If your injuries are not serious, it is imperative you stay at the scene throughout and only leave when the officer asks you to. Call the car accident lawyer as well, if possible, to the scene.
On arrival, the car accident lawyer will advise you on your legal rights and obligations. He or she will also prove invaluable in ascertaining who is at fault. Also having seen the injuries and damage incurred in person, the attorney will be in a position to offer fairly accurate advice on the compensation to expect.
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