What You Should Do In The Event Of A Car Accident

When you are involved in a car accident, it is only natural to be upset and not know what you should do or say. Unfortunately for many accident victims, failing to use sound judgment often leads to not receiving compensation needed for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

If you live in California, there is a one in three chance you will be involved in an auto accident that can result in serious injuries or deaths. To make sure you are prepared for these situations, here are some tips as to what you should do in the event of a car accident.

Always Remain at the Accident Scene

If you are involved in a car accident, never panic and leave the scene prematurely. In most cases, this means staying on-site until you have finished talking with police and are given permission by them to leave the scene. Also, never panic when involved in an accident and choose not to stop. By doing so, you open yourself up to being charged with hit-and-run, which can carry serious legal consequences.

Call 9-1-1

When a car accident happens, always call 9-1-1 as quickly as possible to get paramedics, firefighters, and police to the scene. This will allow all victims to have their injuries assessed and treated, the scene to be made safe and secure, and police to begin investigating what caused the accident. Once police make an initial determination as to who was at fault for the accident, they will file a report. Upon doing so, always make sure you work with a good personal injury attorney, since they will obtain a copy of the report and use it to your advantage, especially when negotiating a possible settlement with the other driver's insurance company.

Seek Medical Treatment

While at the accident scene, allow paramedics to assess and treat any injuries you may have. Also, it is usually best to let yourself be taken to a hospital by ambulance to let ER doctors examine you and provide further treatment for your injuries. By choosing to do so, you will ensure your injuries will be immediately entered into your medical records, which will make it very difficult for the other driver's attorney or insurance company to claim you were not injured in the accident. In addition, your Los Angeles personal injury attorney can use these records when arguing your case in court, and can also have doctors who treated you testify as well.

Exchange Information

When an accident occurs, one of the most important things you should do at the scene is exchange information with the other driver and any passengers involved in the accident. This should include names, phone numbers, addresses, insurance information, driver's license numbers, license plate numbers, and makes and models of cars involved in the accident. Once you obtain this information, hand it over to your good personal injury attorney, since they will likely need it to contact various individuals along the way.

Speak to Witnesses

In addition to speaking with the other driver and passengers, also make sure you don't leave the accident scene until you have spoken with any witnesses to the accident. In many cases, witness testimony is critical to ultimately deciding who wins or loses a case. Therefore, gather witness information either by writing it down or using your smartphone to make a video recording of their account. Once you have a video recording of their information, make sure your Los Angeles personal injury attorney has access to it as soon as possible. Not only will it help your attorney determine how the accident happened, but it will also make it virtually impossible for the witness to change their story or claim they don't remember key details of the accident.

Take Photos

Once you have witness accounts of the accident, also try to take as many photos as possible of the accident scene. To begin with, have photos of any visible injuries you or others sustained, as well as damage to all vehicles. Also, take pictures of nearby traffic signals, stop signs, crosswalks, or other things that could have played a role in the accident. If there are any skid marks in the road, have pictures of these as well. As a general rule, if you think there is any chance something might have been a factor in the accident, take a photo of it and give it to your personal injury attorney. Once your attorney has this evidence, they can compare it with details from the police report, and can also work with an accident reconstruction expert to determine what factors were most important in causing the accident.

Choose Your Words with Caution

When talking to anyone at the scene, in the hospital, or anytime afterwards, always be very cautious when it comes to what you say. For many accident victims, saying things they believe are harmless ultimately comes back to haunt them. For example, if you say "I'm sorry" to the other driver at the accident scene, they will tell this to their attorney. Once this happens, the attorney will attempt to say you admitted fault for the accident. Likewise, should you say this same thing to police, it may be noted in the police report that you appeared to admit the accident was your fault. Therefore, while you should try to be as pleasant as possible under the circumstances, also be wary of how your words can be twisted and used against you.

Document Your Damages

When you are involved in a car accident, your life will be impacted in many ways. Whether this means having an endless array of medical appointments and bills, being forced to take time off from work due to your injuries, or not being able to take part in family vacations or other activities, these and other circumstances can lead to anxiety, depression, and other emotional and physical issues. Therefore, always document these and other damages you have sustained due to the accident. By doing so, a good personal injury attorney can use this in court to show just how devastating the accident was not only to you, but also your family.

Beware of Insurance Companies

Anytime you are a victim in a car accident, you will be contacted by insurance companies. Whether it is your own insurer or that of the other driver, beware of their motives. Since insurance companies rarely enjoy paying claims, they often try to do anything they can to find a reason to deny your claim. Thus, they will often contact you and try to confuse you during a conversation, thus making you sound as if you are admitting the accident was your fault. Along with this, the insurance company may also offer you a quick financial settlement. However, the amount of the settlement will rarely cover your medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages. Therefore, always contact West Coast Trial Lawyers so your Los Angeles personal injury attorney can advise you on how to proceed.

If you are a car accident victim, don't choose to go it alone when dealing with the other driver, their attorney, and insurance companies. Instead, schedule a consultation with the attorneys at West Coast Trial Lawyers.