What You Need To Think About And Do After A Car Accident
Being involved in a car accident can be one of the most stressful things that you can encounter. Your head could be racing as you are checking yourself for injuries but are still worried about not showing up to work. The first thing that you have to do is calm down as panicking is not going to help the situation at all. You should have a game plan of what to do after an accident and if you don’t print one then laminate it to put in your car. The positive aspect of this is that you will have this under control in a matter of hours. The following are things that you need to think about as well as do after a car accident.
Calm Down Then Call Your Insurance Company
Most insurance companies want to make you think that you are a team and they are on your side. Admitting something like you were texting or doing something else negligent can lead an insurance company to drop you. The insurance rep might ask quite a few questions but just read the accident report to them. All other details do not matter and can only be used against you. For this reason, wait until the morning or later in the day of the accident to contact the insurance company as you do not want to present any information that the company doesn’t need and can hurt your claim.
Consult A Personal Injury Attorney
When hurt in an accident consulting a personal injury law firm is imperative as you shouldn’t have to pay for your injuries when they are the fault of another party. The best thing that you can do is document as much as possible as this can help in legal proceedings. The compensation that you could be owed should be able to cover medical expenses, lost wages, as well as other recovery based therapies. The last thing you want to do is pick a settlement law firm that never takes their cases to trial. This can allow you to get a much larger settlement as insurance companies know which attorneys are willing to take a case to trial.
Do Not Admit Any Fault When Talking To A Police Officer
The best thing that you can do is to take pictures after an accident as the officer responding to the accident scene could use these as evidence. Do not admit fault to the officer as the other driver could have been changing lanes quickly or speeding without your knowledge. The officer responds to hundreds of accidents per year so allow them to do their job instead of trying to prove that you were not at fault. Witnesses are important to get contact information from especially if you feel like the other party was at fault. These people can be used later in the case of legal action being taken against the other driver.
Car accidents can leave you in a daze so having a plan of what to do after an accident is important. Do not think that when you are flustered that you will remember everything you need to after an accident. Car accidents happen, take the appropriate steps after one occurs.