MARCH 31, 2024
What should I do after my car wreck?
Car accidents can be a life altering event. The wreck can change your life rapidly, making you lose a job, lose a mate, be unable to pay for your family's needs and make your life miserable. Luckily, you can hire experienced car wreck lawyers who can prevent most of this.
Follow these 12 steps after a car wreck:
Stop the car and don't leave.
Calm yourself down, think clearly and check on your family and the other driver. If you leave the accident scene you lose critical evidence, and it can violate the law.
Make a police report.
Call 911 immediately, report all injuries, and tell them why the other driver was at fault and report the need for an ambulance for any injuries. People who fail to make police reports at the scene usually have a weak case and do not get paid full compensation.
Get information.
Make sure to get names and addresses of all drivers, passengers, and witnesses. Make notes of why the accident was caused by the other driver. Check on everyone to see if injured. Remember that insurance companies always try to deny claims so get critical evidence at the scene.
Get immediate medical treatment.
If you or a passenger are injured, get immediate medical care by ambulance and only at a qualified hospital emergency room. Most people going to urgent care centers lose medical evidence and their cases fall apart.
Report the accident to your insurance carrier.
You should always notify your insurance carrier about the accident but wait until you know the extent of your injuries. Most insurance companies record the calls and people who are injured are in shock and often fail to report their injuries on the first day. Wait a day before calling. Ask your insurance company how much your PIP benefits are.
Report all injuries to the emergency room.
Many people in car wrecks focus only on the most painful thing like their neck or back. Be sure to report all tingling and number or radiating pain down an arm or leg or in the buttocks or thighs. Report head symptoms like dizziness, confusion, ringing in the ears and blurry vision.
Photograph the scene and injuries.
Take photographs of vehicles and the scene of the accident. Take photos of injuries. Photograph all tag numbers on the other vehicle. If it has business logos, names or numbers like DOT numbers take photos of them.
Avoid social media posting.
Never post anything on social media like Facebook (Meta), X, Instagram, TikTok and other social media about the accident. Whatever you do will hurt your case so avoid it totally.
Monitor yourself and family for injuries.
Because many injuries do not become immediately apparent until the next morning you need to assess and monitor your injuries and any family member's injuries so that they can be reported to a doctor. Report even the smallest injury regardless of whether it seems minor to you.
Do not give taped statements.
Be careful not to give tape recorded statements to the other side's insurance adjuster. It won't help you. It will hurt your case. You are not required to give taped statements.
Avoid chiropractors and doctors who are not specialists.
Insurance companies want you to go to chiropractors and urgent care centers where your case is never proven correctly. They have sophisticated computer systems and reduce value for chiropractic care and medical care that is just generic. Injured people need doctors concentrating in your specific type of injury.
Call a car accident lawyer.
Talking to an insurance adjuster without an experienced car accident lawyer is a bad idea. Calling the lawyer immediately will help give you needed knowledge of what to do, how to take care of property damage and will help develop a much better settlement. Let the lawyer focus on the case while you heal.
Contact Bull Attorneys for a free consultation to get skilled legal advice.
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