What To Do In The Moment Of An Auto Collision

Auto Accident Lawyer

If you have recently been in an auto collision, you may be wondering what you should do next. Despite being told during our driver’s education classes how to respond in the aftermath of a car wreck, with the chaos of everything going on around us, it can be really easy to forget if we are in the thick of it. As an auto accident lawyer victims trust from Barry P. Goldberg has explained to clients, it’s important to know what to do in the event of a car accident so that you can make decisions and take steps that are going to be in the best interests of their health and recovery.

The first thing you must do is observe yourself for serious injury. You may have immediate symptoms, depending on how serious the injury is, or you may not feel the effects of the accident until hours or days later. In fact, for many people, they start to feel the side effects of what happened the morning after a car accident. For others, they may have been ushered to the emergency room, been hospitalized, or underwent emergency surgery because their injuries were so severe. 

Victims of car accidents may not realize that they are entitled to monetary restitution for what they have been through. By knowing what to do if a car accident happens, you are better apt to do things that are going to be beneficial for your side. After notifying your insurance company about the accident, you will be reached out to you by an insurance adjuster, who is someone that wants to obtain a statement from you about the accident. But keep in mind that this person, no matter how friendly they seem, is only acting in the best interest of the insurance company, and not your finances or recovery. 

Sadly, many victims realize after the fact that they had said something to an insurance adjuster that was then misconstrued in a way to reduce or deny their claim. For this reason, your lawyer may suggest handling the conversation with an adjuster for you. Do not provide a verbal statement over the phone or close your claim, no matter how much you may be pressured to by the insurance adjuster to do so.

Before leaving the scene of an accident, you will need to get the other driver’s information. You will need to write down their first and last name, form of contact, vehicle description, insurance carrier name, policy number, and any other details that seem appropriate for the accident. If there is more than just one driver involved, then you will need to get the same information from all parties present. It will be imperative to have plenty of evidence related to the car accident, including gathering pictures and video footage of the scene. Your lawyer, like a team member from  Barry P. Goldberg, can use evidence to build your case and ensure that you get the most compensation possible for what you have endured.