A car accident not only solicits a lot of emotions, but it also opens the door to a lot of future endeavors that one must undertake to ensure safety and security. If you are involved in a car accident, you should take immediate steps to protect your health and your case. A great car accident lawyer will be able to help you as soon as you call. If you should remember anything after a car accident, remember these key three things:
1) Call the Police
A police report is absolutely necessary when filing suit after a car accident. When insurance companies review a claim for a car accident, they often treat the police report as the official, and possibly the only, record of the event. Therefore, you should definitely call the police and request a police officer to come to the scene and file a report. If you are injured, be sure to let the 911 operator and police officers know, because some agencies will not take a report if they believe the accident to involve property damage only.
2) Get Other Driver and Witness Information
It is crucial to get the other driver’s information-license plate number, car make and model, insurance information, name, phone number, residence, etc. Either write it down or take a picture of their insurance information, driver’s license number, and address and phone number. Don’t rely on the police report because police officers may not be through or correctly spelled, which may result in a police report that lacks vital information. Also, some police officers can take weeks or even months to prepare their reports.
Seek out any witnesses in the surrounding cars or area who might have seen what occured and ask them for their names and numbers. They can help you in a court of law and give an unbiased account of what exactly happened.
Be sure to take pictures of the cars involved and your injuries.These will be beneficial to your lawyer and you when filing an insurance claim or pursuing a lawsuit.
In addition, take photos of the vehicles in their post accident position. A lot of people will want to move their car to get out of the way of other cars and that is noble, but by moving your car or allowing the other car to move, it prevents a law enforcement officer or if need be an accident reconstructionist, from being able to fully analyze how the accident occurred.
3) Contact a Lawyer
No matter the situation, you should have a personal injury attorney help you through the stressful process of a car accident lawsuit. Without an experienced professional fighting for your rights, it is unlikely you will get the medical treatment and the compensation you deserve.
The attorneys at the Law Office of Richard M. Kenny have over a combined century of experience and achieved over $250 million in verdicts and settlements to prove their success rate. Our attorneys are very familiar with the roadways and laws in and around New York City and have been tackling car accident cases since they began their careers. This is their expertise and they are here to help you get the results you deserve. Call our office today to speak to an attorney about your next steps after a car accident.
