What Must You Do When Involved in a Crash?
A car crash has the potential to render you hospitalized and unable to work. Sweat the small stuff, including the medical and legal formalities, in the immediate aftermath of your car crash, and you’ll pave a path toward justice. McGilberry & Shirer’s legal team is here to obtain the financial compensation you need and deserve after a car accident. Here’s exactly what you should do when involved in a crash.
Step 1: Ask for Medical Assistance
Your physical health is essential for productivity and happiness. Contact 911 for emergency medical assistance after your auto accident. It is in your interest to reach out to 911’s medical responders for prompt care even if you don’t have one or several broken bones, lacerations, or other significant injuries. A formal medical report created within the hours after your auto accident establishes a causal relationship between the crash and your injuries.
Even if you don’t feel significant pain, you should still meet with a doctor as this professional will help determine whether your ensuing whiplash, headaches, dizziness, or other problems are causally related to the auto accident. It is the details of this medical report that ultimately determine whether you are provided with financial compensation for all losses related to the accident.
Step 2: Control the Crash Site
Remain calm after dialing 911 for medical assistance. Stay on-site until medical responders arrive. Try to move away from the flow of traffic so the accident doesn’t prevent vehicles from progressing toward their destinations. If possible, pull your vehicle over to the side of the road. Turn on the hazard lights and wait for emergency medical responders to arrive. If you have reflective triangles or warning flares available, put them around your vehicle to make it clear to other drivers that an accident has occurred. Furthermore, if your injuries are significant and you have a medical emergency kit in your vehicle, use its contents for self-care.
Step 3: Document the Crash Scene
Every last detail of the crash scene matters in the context of justice. Take pictures of the damage to your vehicle as well as your person. Even taking snapshots of the intersection where the accident occurred, the other vehicle involved in the accident, and nearby street signs will help present a comprehensive picture of the site of the crash. It is these pictures that facilitate the piecing together of the puzzle of justice. At the very least, draw a picture with pen and paper to document the accident scene. The final step of the documentation process is to reach out to the police for the generation of a formal accident report. The ensuing police report will help establish fault for the crash.
Step 4: Obtain Information From All Parties
Do not let the other party or parties involved in the accident drive away without providing their information. Write down the names, contact information, auto insurer, and vehicle makes and models of the parties involved in the crash. If anyone was in the vicinity of the crash, write down their names and contact information for future reference. These eyewitnesses have the potential to reinforce your claim that another driver or other party was at fault for the crash.
When discussing the accident with other drivers or other related parties, do not admit fault in any way. Even a brief apology such as “My fault” or “I’m sorry” has the potential to ruin your insurance claim and personal injury lawsuit. Refrain from offering anything more than your name, contact information, and auto insurance information. Obtain the same information from the other parties while recording the entirety of the conversation with your smartphone.
Step 5: Seek Legal Counsel
You can’t do it all on your own in the aftermath of an auto accident. Reach out to a car accident attorney for assistance, be patient, and let this legal practitioner fiercely advocate on your behalf. Your attorney will review evidence, medical reports, the police report, and eyewitness statements to develop a legal strategy tailored to your unique auto accident case.
Continue to meet with medical professionals, documenting each visit and obtaining a receipt for payments related to medical care and durable medical equipment. Focus on rebuilding your body and eventually returning to work while your auto accident attorney advocates on your behalf in and out of a court of law.
Contact McGilberry & Shirer
At McGilberry & Shirer, our car accident attorneys in Dallas are a call away. Reach out to us at (972) 392-1225 for immediate assistance in handling your car crash case. We serve the entirety of the greater Dallas area along with surrounding communities. If you prefer to reach us online, fill outour contact form including a brief description of your case, and we will coordinate a consultation at our earliest convenience.