If you have been in a car accident that was not your fault, you are not the only one. During the daylight hours, at any given minute, there are about 660,000 distracted drivers tooling around on American roads. They an be looking at a text, talking on the phone or playing with their sound system. At the same time, there are a number of people behind the wheel who have been drinking or using drugs. At least 9.9 million people admitted to driving while under the influence. All of this contributes to the number of motor vehicle accidents every year. It has been estimated that more than 37,000 people lose their lives every year in auto accidents. Another 2.5 million are hurt or left permanently disabled. If you have been in such an accident, you may need a personal injury lawyer. If the accident was really serious, you or your family may need the services of a wrongful death attorney. If you have been hurt in an accident, there are a few things you need to do:
- Get treatment for your injuries. If you are in an accident, your first worry should be getting the medical treatment you or others in your car or truck need. If there was anyone in the vehicle not wearing a seat belt, they could have internal injuries that you cannot see. If anyone has suffered a massive head injury, they may need to go to the emergency room in an ambulance. If injures sustained in an accident are not treated right away, your need for a law firm may move from the personal injury to the wrongful death attorney area quicker than you think. You do not help your case by delaying medical treatment, you make it worse and you make it harder for the medical staff to help you.
- Get evidence from the scene. If you are not taken to the hospital in an ambulance, you should take photos of the scene. You can also capture some video on your phone. See if you can talk to any witnesses or get access to any security camera footage that may have caught the accident as it happened. Get the names and numbers of anyone who saw what happened. If you cannot do this, have a friend or family member do it for you.
- Get any documents from law enforcement. If you remain on the scene of your accident, you should call law enforcement. The other party may not want you to but do not give in to pressure. The report they take can really help your case. This is especially true if they end up arresting the other driver. The more documentation that backs up your side of the story, the better. Whether you have a personal injury lawyer and/or a wrongful death lawyer, they can use the police report to bolster your case.
- Talk to personal injury or wrongful death attorneys. You need to hire the right kind of lawyer. Just like medical professionals, attorneys have specialties. You probably know that a divorce lawyer cannot help with your car accident case but some personal injury lawyers may not be able to help either. You want either a car accident attorney or wrongful death lawyer with experience in your kind of case.
- Continue to follow the advice from your doctor. If your doctor tells you that you cannot return to work because of the injuries you sustained in the accident, you need to listen to that. If it is discovered that you are working against the advice of your medical team, you will look like you are faking the severity of your injuries and that will destroy your credibility.
- Keep records of everything. Let the people treating you know you need your records for your case. If you take an Uber or taxi to an appointment, keep the receipt. You may also want to record your thoughts in a journal. Memories fade. A record of what you were thinking and feeling can help your lawyers.
No one ever wants to need a car accident or wrongful death attorney If you do, these tips will help.
