What Should You Do If You Have Been Involved In A Car Accident?
If you have been involved in a car accident, then there are steps that you will need to take. These will include things that you should do if you are likely to want to claim damages from the person that you think caused the accident. The police report will help determine this. That is assuming you got them involved. It is important to have evidence recorded or witnesses questioned that can later help you achieve compensation for injuries.
Kreeger Law Firm, who can be contacted online, will be able to assist you with a claim for personal injury.
6 Steps To Take If You Are Involved In A Vehicle Crash
1. Stop
It is a legal requirement that you stop at the scene of an accident you have been involved in. This is to ensure that all parties are okay and do not need medical attention, as well as to exchange insurance details. Otherwise, it can be classed as a “hit and run.” This will not look good in court, if the accident was your fault, and certainly not help any subsequent claim for compensation in respect of damages. It is not for you to necessarily determine whose fault an accident was. A lawyer can help you to establish this.
Although not stopping might be indicative of trauma, it is not the right thing to do and will not provide the right impression of your character in court. You want those judging you to be on your side, whether you are the plaintiff claiming damages or a defendant proving innocence. Car accidents can result in both kinds of cases. A criminal prosecution can result from drunk, careless, or dangerous driving, from one party or another, and claims for civil damages from the negligent party who caused the accident and therefore everyone’s injuries.
2. Signs
Following an accident, put out a warning sign or triangle in the road, if safe to do so, to let others know that an accident has taken place. This will prevent further accidents being caused because of yours. This is where it is possible to do so, where injuries sustained do not prevent you from getting out of your car. The success of your later claim for injuries will not be related to how you react after an accident, whether you can step out of your car okay, but what medical reports show and who was to blame. Anything that has caused you pain or distress, which was not down to you, can be claimed for.
It is important not to allow one accident to become another and turn you into the negligent party. Counterclaims can be possible in some cases. They get overly complicated and are not always predictable in their outcome, although a lawyer can help decipher them and establish blame to your advantage, where this is the case.
3. Call The Police
Calling the police following an accident, whether you think anyone is injured or not, is a clever idea when it comes to future claims for whiplash. The traffic police are the experts when it comes to gathering evidence from the scene of a car crash. There will be no disputing their evidence in court.
4. Take Details Of Other Party
Insurers will require that you take the details of the third party following an accident. Makes sure that you take at least contact details so that you can ask for more information later. Find a Witness or Two If you can find others who will vouch for you as the safe driver and not the one who caused the accident, then that will help any subsequent compensation claims. Where police are called, this may take care of itself.
5. Gather Evidence
It is a good idea to gather evidence yourself apart from that which the police have taken. For example, take photographs from the scene that could help your lawyer with any compensation claims. Evidence missed to be taken at the time of the accident may not be possible to gather later
6. Contact A Lawyer
It is important to contact a lawyer for advice if you have been injured following an accident. They can let you know if you have a claim to pursue from potentially negligent drivers. Even if you go for an out-of-court settlement, a personal injury lawyer can still help you to obtain the best deal. Should you, instead, decide to take it to trial, it can be well worth the wait, when you receive the kinds of damages past cases demonstrate can be possible. This is because they will consider many factors, including monetary loss, trauma, and long-term care.
Car Accidents Conclusion
The above should function as a guide as to how to behave and act in the event of an accident. The important thing is not to panic and to, where possible, help others that might be more severely injured. Always call the police so that you can get a police report that might later prove useful to your lawyer.
