Help Yourself And Get Help After An Auto Accident
When life deals you a tough blow, fight back. Do what you can to protect your health and your rights after a car or truck accident, including the following steps.
- Call 911. A police report will be important as you prepare to file insurance claims and if warranted, bring an injury claim against another driver or any negligent party.
- Protect the health of the injured in any way you can. This may mean asking help from bystanders to stop bleeding while you wait for an ambulance. To avoid making injuries worse, experts normally advise not moving an injured person, but circumstances vary. If there is danger of an explosion, getting people out of the vehicle may be urgent.
- Get your wrecked vehicle out of lanes of traffic, if possible. If it is driveable and you can move it, this is the safest thing. If you cannot move it, turn on your blinking hazard lights and if you have flares in your trunk, put them to use to warn other motorists that your car is stopped.
- If possible, take pictures or ask someone to take pictures of the wreck, your injuries and the surroundings.
- Get contact information for eyewitnesses to aid in an investigation.
- If you can speak, give your name and insurance information to the other driver. Answer basic questions about people’s well-being that first responders may ask you. However, do not make statements about your perceptions of what happened. Do not say, “I’m sorry,” or otherwise admit fault or state opinions about fault in your motor vehicle accident.
- Contact your insurance company as soon as you can to report the accident, but do not make a recorded statement before you get legal advice.
- Contact a personal injury lawyer. The sooner you have a lawyer on your side, the more likely it is you will be able to maximize your recovery of compensation. Gathering evidence right away and getting an early start on an accident reconstruction investigation can make a great difference in your case outcome.
Take An Important Step Right Now
A free initial consultation with a personal injury attorney at Koles & Burke, LLP, can get your case underway. To schedule a meeting with a car accident lawyer at our firm, call 201-293-8289 or complete a simple online inquiry form.