Some accidents are minor and can easily be rectified. Some mistakes are so costly they require an attorney’s help to recoup for your various losses. If you’ve been in a serious accident, you should know the proper steps to take or in order to build the best case for yourself.
1: Gather Evidence at the Accident Scene
This first step may be the most crucial. Evidence gathering may break or make your personal injury case. Collecting police reports, photographic evidence, and witness statements can only help you in the long run. Say a state police officer forgets their turn signal and ends up hitting your car. You should be sure to gather a statement from any witnesses that saw the incident occur.
2: Medical Examination
Get yourself checked out by a physician or medical professional. Adrenaline may convince you you’re fine for a short while. It’s best to consult a doctor and keep the notes or medical bills as a part of your evidence gathering.
Imagine your hypothetical crash with a state law enforcement officer. Severe whiplash from the collision could cause great strain to the head and neck, or even cause a concussion.
3: Auto Repairs
Following a medical examination, you should next worry about your property involved in the crash. Take your vehicle to a mechanic to assess the damage, and be sure to keep a receipt of the cost of repairs. If a mail truck side-swipes and destroys a wing mirror on your car, you should make note of that exact damage.
4: Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
With all the damage from the accident assessed, you are now prepared to speak to an attorney. You will be able to present your evidence and give the attorney an idea of your legal situation. An experienced personal injury attorney will know precisely what to do in your precarious position.
Getting assistance from legal counsel not only eases the entire claims process, but increases your chances of winning the claim altogether.
5: File a Claim
If you complete the first four steps of this list, you should be ready to file a claim. Filing a personal injury claim can be much easier than people expect when they have gathered evidence and hired an attorney.
Your lawyer can help you file the claim itself, to make sure it is error free and all the legal boxes have been checked. If you’re interested in learning more about what to do after a specific accident, please see below:
