What To Do When You Are In An Accident

by Everspark Interactive Law Firm SEO

Almost seven million car accidents take place in the US every year. There are car accidents where the passengers and the driver gets injured, whether it is minor injuries or something worse.

So, what can you do in a vulnerable situation like this when you are the one going through it all? Do not fret. Listed below are a couple of things that you should keep a track of if you just went through a car accident and need to make some important decisions.

Stay Where You Are

Firstly, you should not leave the scene of the accident. It is in your best interest to stay there, even if the accident is a minor one.

Help Prevent Further Accidents

You have to protect the scene around you in order to stop any further accidents from taking place. This means you keep your car lights on (if they are still working), set up flares, or use a flashlight if you have one. This is especially important if you are in a dark place. Doing this will keep you and the others safe as you wait for help to arrive.

Contact Your Local Authorities

You should call the police, even if there aren’t any serious injuries. There are chances that you might require a police report in order to file a claim when you contact your insurance company, even if you have to make a claim for any damage to your vehicle.

Give The Officers Accurate Information

Once the police reach the scene of the accident, make sure that you give them the correct information, to the best of your ability. In case, you don’t remember certain facts then don’t guess or speculate; tell the investigating officer that you don’t know or don’t remember. If they ask you about any injuries and you aren’t sure, then tell them exactly that instead of saying no. Also, you need to make sure that the information provided by any other individuals who were involved in the accident is accurate too.

Try To Take Pictures If You Can

If you aren’t badly injured and have a working camera with you (like in your cell phone or an actual camera), then make sure that you take pictures of all the vehicles involved in the case of visible damage. Also, take pictures of your visible injuries, if you have any. But, make sure that you aren’t interfering with the current police investigation.

Get All The Important Information

You need to take all of the necessary information from everyone who was involved in the accident. This means you should get the names, numbers, and addresses of both the passengers and the drivers. It will also help to get this information from the witnesses if there were any. Also, you should get information regarding the insurance of the vehicles involved.

Contact Your Insurance Company

Make sure that you get in touch with your insurance company and report the accident. Ask them if your insurance coverage has medical benefits. They will be able to provide you with all of the necessary information and what should be your next step when it comes to insurance.

Get Medical Help

A lot of the time, victims of vehicle accidents aren’t able to realize that they are injured until the injury becomes apparent after a few days. Hence, you should visit the local emergency room as soon as possible. Even minor accidents are capable of causing serious damage to your spinal cord. If you end up losing consciousness even for a few minutes, you could have a concussion or a serious head injury. Therefore, even if you feel fine, you should still get checked out.

Contact Your Lawyer

Getting in touch with your lawyer has to be the most important thing you need to do post-accident. This is even more important than contacting your insurance company. Your lawyer will make sure that your rights are protected and all valuable evidence is not tampered with. Usually, insurance companies ask for your statement right after the accident; however, it is crucial that you talk to your attorney first and get their legal advice before giving that statement. They can help you with issues like how you can get the best medical treatment, are fully compensated when it comes to your vehicle, and other related issues.

This is where we come in. We understand the emotional and physical toll a vehicle accident can have on a person. If you are looking for hiring an Atlanta car accident lawyer, then you have come to the right place. Here at Haug Law Group, we make sure that our clients are satisfied with our services. Our experienced lawyers are the best ones you can find in Atlanta, GA. Our goal is to provide our clients with peace of mind as we handle all of the necessary legal work. Get in touch with us today and allow us to help you.