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injured in a car accident

What to Do and Not Do When Injured in a Car Accident

VWB Blog 2 years ago 8

If you experience a car accident, there’s a good chance that you’ll also suffer an injury. There were 3.4 million emergency department visits annually for motor vehicle accidents from 2017 to 2018.

After getting injured in a car accident, however, you need to know what to do next. You may have difficulty getting compensation from insurance companies and paying for the medical care you need if you don’t take the right steps afterward.

Fortunately, we’re here to help. In this guide, we’ll tell you what you should and shouldn’t do after being injured in a car accident.

Do Get a Police Report Made

Whether you’re injured or not, one of the things that you should always do after a car accident is to call law enforcement and get a report made.

A police report is important for helping establish who was at fault and will include a lot of important information that can help after the accident. If there is a lawsuit, the information on the police report can help various parties understand how the accident happened.

The police report will include a lot of important information including the events and details of the accident as well as interviews and contact information of drivers and third-party witnesses.

Do Get Witness Contact Information

Although law enforcement may end up collecting the contact information of third-party witnesses, you should be sure to talk to the witnesses yourself if you’re able to.

In many cases, the witnesses will leave before the cops arrive. It’s a good idea to get their information ahead of time to ensure that you’ll have clear details about the accident.

By collecting the contact information of witnesses yourself, you’ll have the most information possible. You won’t have to worry about having your word go up against the other driver’s word if the witnesses leave before the police arrive.

Don’t Wait to Seek Medical Care

If you’re injured after a car accident, you should of course be sure to seek medical treatment. Don’t postpone it. You need to make sure that you get the medical attention you need if you’re injured and ensure that you’re getting treated properly for your needs.

On top of improving your well-being, getting medical care is also important when it comes to dealing with insurance companies. If you don’t go to get your car accident injuries looked at immediately, insurance companies might not believe that you had serious injuries. They may also argue that the accident isn’t what caused them.

Don’t Admit That You Were At Fault

One thing that you shouldn’t do after you’ve been injured in a car accident is to admit fault to the other driver or the insurance companies. You may have more trouble dealing with either insurance company if you admit that you were at fault for the accident.

It’s okay to discuss the facts of the accident with the insurance company when asked about what happened. However, if you clearly admit fault, then you may be putting yourself in a more difficult position if there’s a car accident lawsuit later on.

Don’t Trust Your Own Insurance Company

Remember that no insurance company is really on your side after an accident.

Be sure that you don’t give a statement to an insurance company after an injury without talking to a car accident attorney first. You should avoid talking to both the other party’s insurance company and your own insurance company.

While you’ll want to notify your insurance company about the accident, don’t talk to them at length. It’s possible that they’ll call you after an accident to try to get a statement from you.

You may need to seek compensation from either them or from the other insurance company, so be careful what you say to them.

Do Talk to An Attorney

After getting injured in a car wreck, it’s essential that you hire a great attorney. An attorney’s job is to fight for you and to stay on your side at all times.

If you have to face insurance companies and seek compensation after an accident, it can be tough to do it alone. Insurance companies may try to bully you around and make it difficult for you to get the compensation that you need to get.

A lawyer can help guide you through the process of dealing with the other party and the insurance companies after an accident. They can help you ensure that you get compensation for your injuries.

If you’re looking for a car accident attorney in Downey, CA, be sure to read more here about Promenade Accident Attorneys.

Don’t Forget to Take Notes

It’s also important that you keep track of your experiences after a car accident and document your injuries in as much detail as you can.

You should start keeping a diary immediately after the accident. Write down everything you can about the details of the accident, the conditions on the road, and the conversations you had with others after the accident occurred. You should also write about your injuries and the details of any medical treatment you get afterward as well.

It can be tough to remember a car accident’s details as time goes on, so you need to make sure that you take notes. This will help you remember the specifics as time goes by and can help as you continue to deal with lawyers and insurance companies.

Following These Steps After Being Injured in a Car Accident

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, be sure that you take the right steps afterward. Seek medical treatment, call the authorities and take notes on your accident, but be careful what you say to insurance companies and the other driver.

In search of more helpful advice? Read through our blog now to find more useful guides.

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