At least 99% of people who are victims of car accidents were not expecting it and were not prepared for it. It definitely came as a shock leaving them dumbfounded. In such situations, most people do not know the right thing to do as they are probably too shocked to think of doing anything at all. Not all car accident cases necessarily end up in a court of law as a trusted car accident attorney suggests settlement. Most car accident claims have been settled out of court and in spite of that, there are certain actions that a trusted car accident attorney would still suggest you take immediately a car accident occurs. Among these actions are precautions to protect yourself and also to make the claim a lot easier if it ever ends up in court. See below the actions that a trusted car accident attorney suggests.
Things You Should Do Once A Car Accident Occurs
1. Get First Aid Treatment
If you, unfortunately, happen to be a victim of a car accident, there are chances that you will have acquired some personal injuries. The first step is to get medical treatment. A trusted car accident attorney will suggest you make sure you are okay before you try doing anything, as your health is more important than whatever you have in mind. Seek help and get treated. Search yourself for possible bleeding locations and do well to get a professional to stop the bleeding. If you are in a situation where there is no nearby help, then you should pick a phone and place a call to 911 immediately.
2. Inform the Police
Once you have attended to your immediate needs, you can now place a call or visit the nearest police station to inform them about the incident. You might be required to fill out a police report, and a trusted car accident attorney suggests you do so truthfully. You should give out the important and necessary details in your report.
3. Gather Important Information
This is one action you can take that will assist your car accident attorney. Gathering as much information as you can from the drivers and passengers in other vehicles that were involved and from witnesses who were at the scene will help a lot as it will be easier to get back to these people if the need arises than if you didn’t get their details. If your car accident attorney ever wants to hear their side of the story, he can easily reach them.
4. Take As Many Pictures
Taking pictures of the scene and event is an important and wise thing to do. Most times, the cops do call a photographer to take pictures of the car accident scene, and having the pictures for yourself could be an added advantage to you and your attorney. It is also important not to miss out on relevant detail of the scene in your pictures.
5. Get A Car Accident Attorney
This is very important as your attorney would always stand by you and represent you on most occasions. It is important that you get a very good car accident attorney to handle your car accident claim.There are some very important questions to ask an accident and injury lawyers.The question like how much experience you have? What amount of time would you be able to dedicate to my case ? What are your fees?
6. Do Not Make A Statement
While you are expected to fill a police report, it is important not to say anything to the other drivers or victims of the accident. It is also important not to say anything to the insurance companies that might call on you as these people can make you feel guilty and let you say something they would use against you. Always seek advice from your attorney.
7. Write Down Your Experience
The car accident scene might be so tragic that remembering it can give you a lot of emotional and mental issues. You might even want to forget about it for good. As a result of this, it is important to write down the events so that they don’t just vanish if you have problems narrating or if you decide to forget. If you experience mental issues remembering the scene, you can give what you have written to your attorney so you are not tempted to read it.
8. Record Every Expense
It is very important to record all the expenses and extra money you had to spend as a result of the car accident. You should also record the income you lost because you can no longer go to work as a result of the incident. Basically, you should record every dollar you lost that you would not have lost if the incident did not occur. This is a wise thing to do as it will make your claim much easier if it ends up as a lawsuit.