What to Do if you’ve been in a Car Accident?

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What to Do if you’ve been in a Car Accident?

CONTACT US FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

CONTACT US FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Six million automobile accidents occur each year in America. Fortunately, most of these accidents only involve damage to a vehicle. However, on an average 33% of those accidents result in personal injury.

If you are involved in a car accident, it is easy to panic and make irrational decisions. The purpose of this post and graphic is to help you know what to do in the event you find yourself involved in a car accident. 

What to do if you’ve been in a car accident:

  1. First, never leave the scene of an accident. This is the definition of a “Hit and Run” which is a crime. Regardless of inconvenience, it is important to remain present while evidence is gathered and witnesses are interviewed
  2. Keep yourself protected and safe. Being on a busy road presents safety challenges every time. Consider purchasing and using a roadside emergency kit including flares and road markings. Use flashlights in the dark.
  3. Contact Law Enforcement. Whether the car accident is major or minor, it is a good idea to call in law enforcement for help. Law enforcement officers will gather all the initial information which they need to proceed with their investigation.The automobiles involved in the accident should remain at the same place, unless they are in a traffic area.
  4. Cooperate with Law Enforcement Officials to gather all of the necessary information for their investigation. Tell them what you know about an accident and don’t hesitate to tell them that you don’t know certain things.
  5. Make sure that you take pictures of the vehicles in case of visible damage. You should also take photographs of visible injuries. Pictures taken at the scene of the accident will help you in further investigation.
  6. You should exchange basic information such as name, address and telephone number of all persons involved in the accident (drivers and passengers) as well as licence & insurance information should be documented.
  7. Consider seeking medical attention, even if there are no outward signs of injury. Often, adrenaline masks injuries at the moment of the accident and underlying muscle injuries may not become apparent until the next day.
  8. Document as much as possible, because evidence may disappear quickly. Keep all your accident-related documents and information in one place.
  9. Contact a Personal injury attorney as soon as possible to protect your rights. The personal injury attorney can help with compensation for any medical expenses that may arise. 

Your attorney can advise you on major issues like compensation and medication, and they make sure you are getting the best medical treatment and full compensation. If you have been in an automobile accident and would like to speak with an attorney, please contact us as soon as possible so we can help you with your case.

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We understand when the injury occurs, you are scared and need immediate help. Here are the answers to some of the questions we hope are helpful to you.
If you come to us, we have all the answers for when you are injured in any type of accident.

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Call the police and make sure an ambulance is sent as soon as possible. Make sure everyone involved in the accident is conscious and responsive. Stay at the scene even if the accident isn’t serious, the police should be called regardless and a police report should be filed. It is important when speaking to the police that you stick to the facts, do not speculate, and most importantly do not admit any fault. Make sure you take as many pictures as you can with your cell phone. Also, we suggest taking a picture of the other person’s license plate, their drivers license, and insurance information. The pictures should document any damage that is caused by both vehicles.  Seek medical attention as soon as possible if injured, even if you do not feel any pain, you may be in a state of shock and could experience medical issues later on.

If you are experiencing pain, injury, or financial damages as a result of someone else’s negligence. You may have a personal injury case. If the other driver was at fault or failed to follow the legal rules of the road – our car accident attorneys may be able to prove that the other party is liable for those damages. For example, if you were rear-ended in a car accident, typically the other driver is responsible for that accident and the insurance company could be liable for any damages.

Within the first few days, you will receive communications from both your insurance company and the other driver’s insurance company. You may be contacted by your health insurance company, doctors, and even attorneys. The other driver’s insurance company may request that you sign medical authorizations so they can retrieve your medical records. Before you speak to any of these people or sign any documents, it is important that you seek legal counsel.

You may have a difficult time paying for your medical expenses, even if you have health insurance. Make sure to bill any treatment as you normally would through your healthcare provider. Additionally, you may have medical payment coverage under your car insurance plan. This could be used to cover your co-pays and other medical expenses that your health insurance company may not cover initially.

This is a difficult question to answer because it depends on many factors. If we are successful in proving that the other party is liable for your injuries and damages, you could be compensated for medical bills and any other hospital costs, lost wages, costs of rehabilitation and physical therapy, disability or disfigurement, pain and suffering, wrongful death, including loss of financial support and any other out of pocket expense that was related to your accident.

Depending on the severity of your injuries and the length of time you need to heal from your injuries will determine the length of your claim. We also have to factor in the willingness of the other party to settle as they make their initial offer. If unreasonable offers are made, your claim may proceed to trial, which will increase the length of your claim.

At Kats, Jamison & Associates all personal injury accident cases are handled on a contingency-fee-basis. This means that we will never charge you upfront for any cost and we will advance all costs and expenses. You will not have to reimburse our Firm for any costs unless we are successful. You will pay absolutely nothing for lawyers’ fees unless we win a monetary sum in your case.

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