Three Simple Steps to Deal with an Auto Accident
Posted on: 5 June 2015
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Immediately after you are in an accident on the road, the prevailing feeling may be confusion. In addition to this confusion, you may also be dealing with physical pain and mental anguish. When you combine all of these things, you are probably not in the best state to take decisive action post-accident. For this reason, you may want to commit the following post-accident checklist to memory.
Notify the Police
The first thing you should do is to notify the police immediately. Whether you think the accident was fairly minor or completely catastrophic, the police must be involved because the accident needs to be documented for insurance purposes.
The information that the police will gather at the scene of the accident may be an integral part of your accident claim later. This information may include:
- The name of the other driver
- Insurance information for the other driver
- Information about the weather at the time of the accident
- Information about any road hazards that could have contributed to the accident
You only need to make a brief statement about what happened to the police after the accident. Keep it simple at this time, and focus on the next step once the police have gathered enough information.
See a Doctor
Step two after any auto accident should be a trip to the doctor for a post-accident checkup. It is always wise to accept ambulance transport to the hospital so you can get your injuries examined and attended to immediately.
Auto accidents are traumatic to both the vehicles and the bodies involved. You may not even initially realize you are injured. An injury like whiplash isn't always obvious immediately after the accident. Whether you think you're hurt or not, it's best to be on the safe side by getting checked out.
Seeing a doctor immediately is an important part of documenting your case. These medical records can be used to clearly demonstrate that you deserve compensation for your injuries. To make sure that you use the medical records regarding your injury to your maximum benefit, proceed to step three: hiring a lawyer.
Call an Auto Accident Lawyer
Calling an auto accident attorney is vital if you want to pursue compensation for your injury. When another person is at fault, or at least partly at fault, for your injuries, they can best be held responsible with the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Negotiation is key in car accident lawsuits, and attorneys excel at negotiations with the insurance company. The majority of injury cases - around 95 to 96 percent—are settled during the negotiation phase prior to court. This means that expert negotiation is critical if you want to get a good settlement, and only a lawyer can provide that.
Post auto accident, it's understandable if you're distraught. When this happens, use the easy three step method above: Contact police, visit the doctor, and see a lawyer like Gibbs and Parnell. By following these three simple rules, you'll take a level-headed approach to the situation, even when you're feeling frazzled.