Careful driving practices and behaviors significantly reduce your chances of getting into a dangerous car accident, but they do not eliminate the possibility entirely. Negligent drivers who are more focused on other things, such as eating, texting, or conversing with a passenger, are wholly unpredictable. If they swerve suddenly into your lane or don’t hit the brakes behind you at a red light, there’s basically nothing you can do to prevent the collision.
This doesn’t mean your knowledge and know-how has gone to waste, though. If you take the time now to learn what to do after a car accident, you will be setting yourself up for an easier road ahead. Let’s take a look at some helpful hints and reminders.
Remember These Five Steps After an Accident
- Check on everyone: Before you start worrying about legalities, worry about everyone involved in the collision. If there is any noticeable injury or damage caused, you should notify the authorities right away.
- Do not apologize: To avoid any liability being automatically placed on your shoulders, you should speak as little as possible. This includes never accepting blame and never saying you are sorry, as this can be misconstrued by insurance investigators to be an admission of guilt for the accident.
- Take photographs: As awful as it is that cellphones cause thousands of accidents every year, they can be handy after one has already occurred. Use yours to snap pictures of the scene from every angle, including the surrounding area and weather conditions.
- Collect contact information: Don’t forget that you need as much identifying and insurance information from all other drivers as possible. You may want to write down the make, model, and license plate number as soon as you can, just in case the other driver decides to turn your accident into a criminal hit-and-run.
- Accept medical attention: You should be checked out by either emergency paramedics on the scene or by your own physician after the collision. The medical records can become powerful evidence for your case, not to mention you should ensure that no serious, internal harm has been done to you.
Retain the Help You Need
Last but certainly not least, you should not think that you have to go through this trying situation alone. Seeking compensation and fair coverage after a car accident is tricky business, especially when you consider that insurance companies may be trying to save a buck by giving you as little as possible, or nothing at all, for your injuries. You should team up with a Miami personal injury lawyer with 20+ years of experience. You should get an attorney with an “Excellent” rating from Avvo in your corner. You should side with Attorney Ada Barreto from The Law Office of Ada M. Barreto, P.A.
Call 305.222.7442 today and schedule your initial consultation. Hablamos Español e Inglés.