Steps You Should Take if You Get into a Car Accident
Lots of people are involved in a car accident at one time or another in their lives, if not even several. It is important to know what to do if you are ever involved in a car accident. Here are some of the steps you should take.
See if Anyone Needs Immediate Medical Attention
You should start by checking on yourself and seeing if you have any critical injuries. Then take a look at the other people in your vehicle, and finally, move to the other vehicle or vehicles involved to see if an ambulance needs to be called. Everyone’s safety and wellbeing should be the first and top priority.
Call the Police
It is important to get a police officer to the scene of the accident so that he or she can write an unbiased report. This will be a crucial document if your case goes to court, as it will include information about the scene of the accident and information from everyone involved — including witnesses, if applicable.
Collect Evidence and Exchange Information
If you are able to, it is never a bad idea to take photos of the accident from several different angles. It is also important to get information from everyone involved in the accident including exchanging insurance information, phone numbers, and taking note of the make and model of the vehicle and license plate number. These can all be useful to your lawyer in the future.
Get Medical Care
Even if you do not think you were injured in the accident or your injuries seem minor, it is crucial to get evaluated by your primary care physician. This will provide proof in the future that you were seen after the accident and your physician will be able to determine if an injury comes up in the future whether it could be related. Often, car accident injuries can take some time to present themselves because your adrenaline rush from being in something that traumatic is covering up any pain. This is your body’s defense mechanism to protecting itself, but you need to make sure nothing serious happened in the accident.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer
Finally, you need to retain representation from a car accident lawyer Kansas City, MO relies on, like from Royce Injury Attorneys, right away so that he or she can begin working on your case. Your lawyer will want to speak to insurance agents and other parties involved on your behalf to make sure that you are able to collect all of the damages you deserve in the case. It may be ideal to settle if you are offered a fair amount, but if not, your lawyer will likely recommend taking the case to court. You are ultimately in charge, but an experienced car accident lawyer will be able to guide you through the process and help better your chances of gaining compensation. Your case will likely be much stronger if you have someone with experience on your side offering guidance and advice throughout the process. Don’t hesitate though — there is a statute of limitations in place for personal injury cases that you don’t want to miss.
