Four Steps to Take After a Car Accident
Are you looking for an auto accident lawyer? Being in a car accident is a terrible thing to have to go through. While your auto accident lawyer can’t take the pain and suffering that you’ve experience away, having the right auto accident lawyer by your side will help you ensure that you get the compensation you need to get on with a productive and healthy life.
However, before you ever meet with your auto accident lawyer, the first steps that you take are critical for giving them the leverage they need to fight on your behalf. After being involved in a car accident, it is important to follow these steps:
Four Important Steps to Take After Being in a Car Accident
- Don’t go anywhere.
Nothing is as important as the fact that you need to stay at the scene of the accident until it is appropriate to leave. Sometimes in the hysteria of the accident, you might not be able to think clearly, and you might feel like getting away from the terrible incident. However, leaving the scene of a car accident before the police have had a chance to process it could lead to hit-and-run charges. This is especially true if there are injuries or fatalities involved in the accident. Being charged with a hit-and-run could equal jail time. Don’t do it. Just stay where you are until the police arrive and give you further directions. - Check on the well-being of anyone involved in the accident.
There is nothing more important in a car wreck than the health and safety of the people involved in the wreck. Before you take a look at the damage that you incurred through the car accident, check on any other drivers or passengers who were involved in the wreck. Get medical attention to anyone who needs it. The actions you take in the moments after a car wreck could be life saving.
If anyone appears to have a head or neck injury, or is unconscious, do not attempt to move them until paramedics arrive to ensure that moving them does not further the extent of the injury. - Contact the police.
The police report will be a significant piece of evidence that your auto accident lawyer will use to fight on your behalf. After getting anyone who is injured the medical attention they need, the next action you need to take is calling the police. In fact, if you call 911 to get medical attention for a person who is hurt, the police will come to the scene automatically.
Make sure to stick around to provide your account of how the accident happened in the police report. If there were any unbiased witnesses who saw the accident, ask them to stick around and provide an account of the details for the police. The account of a witness who has nothing to lose or gain through the details of the accident holds a lot of weight when your auto accident lawyer works out a settlement for the accident. - Get contact information from other drivers involved in the incident.
Make sure that you have the name and phone number, as well as the drivers’ license and license plate numbers for anyone else who was involved in the car accident. It is also important to collect the other driver’s insurance information before leaving the scene of the accident.
If there were passengers in the other vehicles, try to collect their names and addresses as well. The more you know about the people who were involved in the incident, the more your lawyer can work with to make sure you are fully compensated.
While you work with the other drivers and passengers involved in the car accident, try to remain cordial and respectful. Being irate or aggressive will only make the other parties react the same, and will make the process of collecting information and processing the accident more difficult.
However, in being polite and cordial, you should never admit any blame. It might feel comforting to say, “It wasn’t your fault!” or “I didn’t see the light change to red!” These statements could be used as an admission of guilt and could leave you liable for the damage.
Do you have any other tips for actions to take after a car accident? Please add them below.
