What To Do After an Accident

If you are involved in an accident, chances are that you are frightened and overwhelmed. It is important that you understand what to do during the accident aftermath in order to protect both your health and your legal rights.

At Freeman Injury Law, we represent clients injured in all types of auto accidents, pedestrian accidents and other motor-vehicle-related injuries. To help you to better understand your rights and to allow you to be better prepared if you are involved in an accident, we’ve prepared short checklist. You can also come in for a free consultation with a Florida personal injury lawyer in our office after the accident so you can get personalized advice specific to your situation.

What to Do After an Accident The best course of action after you are involved in an accident is to be proactive in learning about your injuries and about your legal rights. After an accident, follow these steps to make sure you do both:

1. Obtain necessary emergency medical attention for you or others at the accident scene immediately. IF someone is seriously ill or injured, this is the single most important thing to deal with and getting medical help is even more important than preserving evidence.

2. Contact law enforcement. Whether your accident is serious or more minor, you should always contact the police and have them come to write out an accident report. When you speak to law enforcement and get an accident report, this provides substantiating evidence of how the accident happened. If it later turns out that there are questions of fault, it won’t just be your word against the other driver’s if you have a report from the police.

3. Take down the names of any witnesses to the accident or of license plates of those passing by when the accident happened. If it turns out to be your word against the other driver’s word, the testimony from the witnesses will help you to show your version of events is the correct and accurate one.

4. Take photographs of everything at the accident scene. This means taking pictures of your own vehicle, of the vehicle(s) who hit you, of any other cars involved, of the roadways, of any debris lying around and about anything else that might help to prove who was at fault or how serious the accident was.

5. Get checked out by a doctor. Even if you do not believe you need emergency medical treatment, it is still a smart choice to visit a physician. Some injuries are internal and may not make themselves known for a long time as they slowly do damage to the body. In other cases, what can seem like something mild- such as a headache, can quickly turn into something serious like a traumatic brain injury.

6. Get a lawyer. You may be able to make a claim against the party that did you harm. A personal injury lawyer will explain in detail your legal rights after an accident and help you to enforce those rights. For example, your lawyer might help you to file a lawsuit or may assist you in negotiating a settlement to recover compensation for your injuries.

If you follow these basic steps after an accident has happened, you will ensure that you aren’t left paying the bills and struggling with the financial costs of an accident. At Freeman Injury Law, we are here to help you after your accident has occurred. Contact us today for more information on the legal services we provide and to schedule a free consultation.