15 Things You Should Do After a Car Accident

If you are involved in a vehicle accident, it is important that you take the appropriate steps to make sure you and your loved ones receive appropriate medical treatment and compensation. An accident can be a traumatizing experience and emotions may be high, but it is critical that you maintain composure and execute a plan of action to maximize your safety, health, and case viability. If you have been involved in an accident in San Diego, you need to seek a consultation with a qualified personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

The 7 Things to Do Immediately Following the Accident:

1. Wellness Check: Be sure that you and your passengers are unharmed and do not require any immediate medical attention. If you do, be sure to treat wounds with what is available and call 911 immediately.

2. Check the Other Vehicle: Be sure to check the other driver's vehicle and make sure that no one on the scene needs urgent medical care.

3. If Necessary, Request an Ambulance: This option is a point of concern for must accident victims due to the financial burden this may place upon them, but if someone isn't responsive, is bleeding profusely, or has suffered any other major injuries, paramedics should be contacted immediately. A skilled San Diego personal injury attorney can resolve all of your medical bills with no direct cost to you.

4. Call the Police: Involving law enforcement does not automatically mean that someone will be arrested. Having peace officers on the scene is a great way to establish simple liability and ensure that the information of the accident and the parties involved are recorded linearly and objectively. The other driver may advise against this but it is your responsibility to act in your interests.

5. Take Good Photographs: Quality photographs of the accident scene are crucial to your personal injury case. Many attorneys will require photographs of the incident to verify that the property damage justifies a personal injury claim. Taking good photographs is critical to winning your case.

6. Gain Other Driver's Information: If the police failed to arrive in a timely manner and one or both parties have to depart, it is important to acquire all of the other driver's pertinent information to prevent them from avoiding liability. Be sure to photograph their driver's license, car insurance card, registration, and license plates, as well as their damages.

7. Call a Personal Injury Attorney: As soon as you are able, having followed all of the previous steps, you need to present all of your information to a qualified and capable personal injury lawyer that can begin to coordinate your medical treatment and advocate on your behalf to the insurance company. You should open your case as quickly as possible to maximize your recovery. Even if you do not have insurance, if you were in an accident that was not your fault, you may have a claim under Proposition 213.

8 Things to Do After Leaving the Scene:

1. Seek Immediate Medical Attention: Whether or not you believe you were injured, you need a diagnosis from a licensed professional. Due to the adrenaline of the situation, pain from accidents may take a day or more to materialize. It is important to consult a physician within 30 days of an accident.

2. Attend all Assigned Medical Appointments: A good personal injury lawyer and/or case manager will help coordinate your medical treatment and plan out your appointments. It is critical to your case that you make every session.

3. Maintain all Medical Records: To ensure that you have the proper compensation for all of your medical expenses, maintain accurate and up-to-date records of your medical treatments.

4. Inform Your Employer: Be sure to inform your employer of your accident and impending medical treatment to preserve your employment.

5. Maintain all Vehicular Repair Records: It is important that you have an itemization of your property damage repair costs to make sure that the defendant's insurance is held accountable.

6. Moderate Your Expectations: Dealing with a personal injury case can be physically and mentally taxing; the best-case scenario is a case that is resolved quickly and without conflict. Understand that each case is comprised of a completely unique set of circumstance. No matter how identical the accident, settlement amounts and timelines are dependent upon your injuries, medical treatment, pain, suffering, and the tenacity of the opposing insurance company. Matters that are litigated can take over a year to resolve.

7. Check-in with Your Attorney: Personal injury law firms can be incredibly high volume. As a result, they may take some time to get back to you. In spite of this, you should make a concerted effort to contact your attorney for a status update.

8. Trust the Process: If you have followed all of the correct steps laid out here everything should progress as it is meant to. If you or a loved one has been in an accident in the San Diego area, contact Coastal Legal Center for a free case evaluation at 619-231-0724