Being in a car accident is always difficult, especially when you’ve incurred injuries or damage to your vehicle. There are important matters you need to take care of after the accident. Taking prompt action may help you with insurance claims, identify the liable party, and ensure that you are compensated correctly.
That’s why you must complete the following steps as soon as possible after an accident:
1. Check On Your Well-Being
Whether the car accident is severe or not, you need to make sure that you and your passengers are physically well. Check on yourself and your passengers to established if any injuries have been suffered. If you or your passengers are injured, you may want to get to safety and apply first-aid.
However, it’s best to wait for help from a paramedic or other qualified medical professional if injuries are severe; such as fractures, head injuries, excessive pain, or breathing difficulties. Moving them may aggravate the injuries.
2. Call The Right People
After moving to a safe area, you may need to call your loved ones, the police, an ambulance, the fire service, or even your lawyer. Believe it or not, it might be necessary for a car accident attorney to be present at the scene to help determine who’s liable. You can learn more about liable parties online, and with the help of your lawyer.
When there are injuries caused by a car accident, you may need to call 911, even if they are minor. That way, a professional can apply immediate first aid or treatment to injured people while transporting them to the nearest hospital.
Calling 911 will also help you reach out to proper authorities because they can dispatch officers straight to your location.
3. Document The Scene
If you’re not severely injured, you may want to document the scene while waiting for medical assistance or local authorities to arrive. By completing this at the scene, you can help protect yourself from false claims in the future. You don’t need to act like a detective to document the scene, but there are some things you can do.
You can take a picture or video of the car accident, including the people around the incident. Within the pictures or videos, show the different angles of your car and the other party involved. This documentation may aid during the claims process or court trial to support your case.
Also, consider talking to witnesses in the area who may have seen what happened before, during, and after the car accident. Take their names and contact numbers in case you need their testimonies in the future. You should also get the names and badge numbers of the responding officers when they arrive. Then ask for a copy of the accident report, because you may need it when you file for insurance claims.
4. Seek Out Medical Treatment
After a car accident, you will most likely need to seek medical treatment – even if you feel fine at the time, there may be hidden injuries that only a professional can diagnose. Don’t worry about expenses because if you have insurance, you can file a claim afterwards.
Immediate medical attention is required so your insurance company can’t argue about it. This is because some insurance companies may claim that you were not injured during the car accident but at another time, because you waited before seeking medical treatment. That’s why you must go to the hospital immediately after a car accident.
5. Hire A Car Accident Lawyer
If you don’t have a car accident lawyer yet, you need to hire one when you’re involved in a car accident. An attorney will help you with your insurance claims and during a court trial if need be. Instead of you doing paperwork for your claim, your car accident lawyer will do it on your behalf.
Since they’re knowledgeable about car accident laws and insurance claims, they’re already familiar with the requirements to win your claim. They’ll also negotiate with insurance companies, so you don’t need to worry about it. All you have to focus on is resting and healing from your injuries.
Conclusion
Being in a car accident is a scary event, but things are likely become more challenging after the incident if you don’t complete the steps above. Don’t forget to call 911 and seek immediate medical treatment to prevent further injuries. You should also document the scene if you can, so you have supporting evidence for your claims. Most importantly, don’t forget to hire a car accident lawyer to help you with legal requirements for filing a claim or case.