As a victim of a car accident, it can be difficult to think clearly or know what actions should be taken following an accident. Recovering from the physical and emotional damage that has been caused by a car accident can take time. Furthermore, a car accident can be extremely complicated to handle as a result of the many different factors that come into play including insurance companies, police reports, and potential lawsuits. Considering all of these, you need to contact and ask for help from a trusted Car Accident Lawyer in Bridgeport, CT.
To properly deal with all of these, it is necessary to know the steps one should take following an accident. Therefore, here are some tips on what you should do in the days following a car accident.
Seek Medical Treatment
Contact your health care provider immediately to have them check you out the next morning after the car accident that took place the night before. It is important to make sure you receive the proper medical attention for any injuries sustained during the incident because if left untreated these can cause more damage down the line.
If your injuries are severe, then the emergency room is where you should go right away. However, even if your physical pain has significantly lessened or disappeared the day after a car accident, it still may be a good idea to seek medical attention once the sun rises to properly assess your condition and prevent further injury from occurring as a result of the accident. Even though insurance companies are concerned with the financial impact that an accident may have, the fact remains that the main priority for the doctors and the hospitals is the well-being of the patients.
Contact The Police
Contact the police regardless if there were any injuries or not as a result of the car accident on the night it took place. This needs to be done regardless of whether you have already called your insurance company or not because they will need to see a copy of the report as well as who was at fault for the collision before they can process your claim or potentially file one against you if their investigation into the incident shows that you had been driving carelessly and were more responsible for the wreck than the other person involved. Additionally, contact information from those involved in an accident such as phone numbers is also found in the police report so be sure to secure this information as well.
Take Photos And Videos
Once you’ve received the medical treatment that you require after a car accident, the next step is to identify what damages occurred to your vehicle to properly file an insurance claim. If possible, take photos and videos of the accident scene including any personal property damage such as the other person’s car along with yours, or anything else that was affected by the collision such as fire hydrants, trees, poles, etc…). It is important to do this immediately following the accident because memories can fade quickly when it comes time to recall key details about what happened during an incident. When you do this the next day, the likelihood of the details from the accident being remembered the same is very high.
Gather Witness Information
If possible, it is a good idea to speak with any individuals who witnessed the accident if they are willing to take the time to do so. This includes anyone who you were driving with at the time of the crash or even bystanders on the street who may have seen what occurred immediately before and after the collision took place.
If there were people around when your car was struck, then ask them for their contact information in case you need them to vouch on your behalf during an investigation by either party’s insurer, providing statements about what happened from their perspective, or testifying about what they saw during a potential legal proceeding that comes out of the incident where they can either be used as a witness or an expert.
Contact Your Lawyer
You don’t want to put this off for too long because the sooner they are brought into the loop about what happened, the more time they’ll have to be prepared in case things end up going in that direction. While it may seem like a good idea to let your insurance company handle these issues on their own given that most of them offer you legal representation, such as from car accident lawyer parkchester, as part of their service, this isn’t always in your best interest if they lack resources or experience in dealing with such matters so it is important to speak to an experienced Racine based car accident attorney who can look out for your interests and work diligently on your behalf when dealing with the other party’s insurer and/or vehicle owner.
It is important to be proactive with the steps that you take following an accident so that it doesn’t become too late down the road to receive financial compensation for your injuries or damage to your vehicle. Waiting until days later when memories of the incident have already begun to fade can prove detrimental in securing what is rightfully yours, making it necessary for you to act quickly when the incident has first occurred. Follow these steps to ensure that you are in your best position to make sure that you receive the compensation that you deserve.