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There are a lot of accidents involving motor vehicles every year around the planet. It has been estimated that car and truck accidents kill 1.2 million people around the globe every year. In the United States, at least six million of these accidents are reported every year. They injure about three million people around the country each year. Distracted driving alone was responsible for about 3,477 deaths in 2015. If you have been in one of these car or truck accidents, there are things you need to do. Here are a few of them:

1. Do not flee the scene. If you have been injured enough to require a trip to the hospital in an ambulance, you should not refuse that. If you are ok to get to the doctor or emergency room later, you should stay on the scene and call in law enforcement. If the other party stays and you take off, you are committing a crime. This will absolutely impact any settlement you get. Stay put and give the police your side of what happened.
2. Get medical treatment. Once you have talked to the police, you should get medical help. There are a lot of instances where it is impossible to tell how badly you are injured without seeking out medical advice from the experts. Some people think that if they do not get medical help right away, they will get more money for the injuries they have. This is absolutely false. Delaying getting medical treatment can negatively impact your case.
3. Consider hiring a personal injury lawyer. When it comes to car and truck accidents, there are a lot of times when it is important to have a legal expert help you with your case. If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence or illegal actions, you need a lawyer to make sure you get all that you need and deserve to get better. Every two minutes, there is an accident in the United States caused by someone driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If you are not sure if you need a lawyer, you should still schedule appointments to go over your case with them and see if you do.
4. Never take the first settlement offer without talking to personal injury lawyers. If soon after your accident, you receive an offer from an insurance company for a settlement, you should take it to a lawyer and have them look it over. You should also hold off until you know what it is going to take to fully recover from your injuries, some of which may not show up right away. The first offer is just that, a first offer. If you get some advice from a personal injury lawyer, they can help you get all of the money you need to recover. The settlement also needs to cover any wages you lose due to the injuries you have suffered.
5. Get evidence of the accident. This can be pictures you or someone you know has taken. This can be the police report. This can even be video footage from area businesses. Whatever images or video you can get of the accident, its aftermath, or documentation you can get from law enforcement, especially if someone has been arrested, will help your case. This is true for truck accidents, car accidents, or any kind of wreck that involved a motor vehicle.
6. Do not talk to all your friends and family about the accident. After people have been in car or truck accidents sometimes they can talk too much to the wrong people. You never want to talk to anyone from an insurance company that is not representing you without your truck or accident lawyer present. Tell your personal injury attorney if anyone tries to contact you from a different insurance company. Let your personal injury lawyer deal with the negotiations.
7. Follow any medical advice you get. The insurance company is going to want to pay as little as they can get away with. If they see you not doing something your doctor told you to do, they will say you are not as injured as you claim to be.