5 Steps to Take After a Serious Car Accident
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It can be a terrifying time if you’ve ever been in an auto accident. The sound of metal hitting metal can send vibrations through your body. Although it sounds cliché, your life can flash before your eyes. While your thoughts may immediately turn to your family and getting to your loved ones, there are certain things that you should do after a car accident. Continue reading to discover some chips, things you should do at the accident scene, and the five steps you should take after an accident.
In addition to accidents being terrifying, they can be severe enough to cause serious bodily harm. Accidents can cause you to miss time from work, and they can also totally damage one of your most expensive assets, your car.
If you get into an auto accident, staying on the scene is vital. Leaving the scene of an accident is illegal in some states. It is also imperative that the accident scene is protected. If your accident is at night, keep your flashers on or set up flares. Of course, if the accident leaves any party badly injured and bloody, the first course of action is getting medical attention.
In addition, there are five steps that you should take after a serious car accident. Those are:
1. Call for Help – 911
You should always call the police after an accident, even if it doesn’t appear that there is bodily injury to anyone. Not only will the police help calm nerves, but they will also assess and call for additional help, like ambulances or other emergency vehicles, if necessary.
Unless your vehicle is blocking traffic, it should stay exactly where it was when the accident occurred. That way, the police officers can write a police report that you can file with your insurance company.
2. Get all Documentation from Relevant Parties
Although the police on the same will get as much information from everyone involved in the accident, you should try to get this information yourself. Obtaining all necessary documentation will prevent guessing or doing investigative work after the accident scene has been cleaned and disbursed. Keep in mind that the other parties will want the same information from you.
The documents and information to get from other parties in the accident include:
- Name and address of other parties
- Telephone numbers
- Information from car registration
- Insurance information
If you have a smartphone, take pictures of as much of this information as possible. Also, take photos of the damage to your vehicle and all the other vehicles involved in the accident.
3. Get Information From Any Witnesses
If there are any witnesses on the scene, they may have information to help you with the investigation. A witness may have seen something that was not obvious to you. Therefore, you should get their information and share it with your attorney.
4. Contact Your Insurance Company
Printed on policies for many insurance companies are their rules for handling your contacts with them after an accident. Even if you don’t see it, you should notify your insurance company as soon as possible after the accident. They will want all the information you gathered at the scene and the police report.
Your insurance company may also want to know about injuries and medical bills. If you have an attorney contact, you should also give this information to your insurance company. Whatever you do, do not admit fault – not at the scene, not to your insurance company, and not to your attorney. They will determine exactly what happened.
5. Contact a Lawyer
To protect your rights after an accident, you should contact an attorney. They will work with you and your insurance company to ensure that you are fully compensated for your injuries and damage to your car. Getting the high-quality and aggressive representation that you deserve is insured by knoxville, tennessee lawyers. You will get personalized representation from lawyers who have dedicated their legal careers to guiding people who had car accidents.
Conclusion
As you have read, car accidents can be a terrifying time. Knowing what you should and shouldn’t do is vital for protecting your rights. Therefore a guide of the five steps you should take if you’ve been in a severe car accident is listed above. Be sure to follow them if you are in an accident.