Very
few people ever plan what they would do if they happen to be involved
in a motor vehicle accident, yet many people will have to deal with
the many issues involved after they do end up being involved in a car
crash. All people will want to be sure that they take certain steps
so they can insure that they are able to recover compensation for
their injuries.
When you have suffered serious injuries or
your loved one was killed in an automobile accident, you will always
be best served by quickly contacting a Los
Angeles accident attorney. Other steps you can take yourself will
include all of the following:
Stop
at the scene of the crash
– The last thing you want to do is make an accident worse by becoming
a hit and run driver, so always stop your vehicle at the scene of
your accident or as close as possible thereto. Leaving the scene of
an accident resulting in property damage only is a misdemeanor in
California, but a crash causing serious injury or death could result
in felony charges.
Get
medical care
No matter whether you think your were hurt, you should always visit a
hospital just to have a complete evaluation performed so you can be
sure that you did not suffer an injury with delayed symptoms.
Immediate medical attention is important because any delays in
visiting a doctor will be used against you. Insurance companies may
claim that injuries were not treated properly and are not compensable
when a person fails to seek medical attention after an accident.
Protect
the scene
Turn on your hazard lights and use emergency flares at night to
notify other drivers about disabled vehicles on the road.
Contact
law enforcement
– You always want to contact the local police department to make sure
that a police report is completed and filed for your crash. The
police report will become critical to your personal injury case. The
officer who responds could also issue tickets to negligent drivers in
some cases. Be mindful that law enforcement agencies across
California are very busy responding to multiple crashes, so give a
police department adequate time to respond to your call.
Take
pictures
– You want to get as many photographs of everything involved in the
scene of your crash. Try to get pictures from multiple angles and
distances so you can have a good variety of pictures. Also get
photographs of all vehicles, people, and other factors relevant to
the accident. No attorney will ever tell you that you took too many
pictures.
Exchange
insurance information
Ask the other driver for their automobile insurance policy
information and also request to see their driver’s license. Take
pictures of this information or write it down. Report your accident
to your own insurance company, but you should try to avoid speaking
to another driver’s insurer until you have a car accident personal
injury lawyer.
Contact
a lawyer
– You will want to speak to an attorney about your accident as
quickly as possible after your crash. Some lawyers may be willing to
come visit you while you are in a hospital room or if you are
confined to your own home. It is important to get a Los Angeles
accident attorney involved right away so they can begin taking all of
the most important actions relating to your injury claim.
Some
people think that they can handle their car accident claims on their
own without a lawyer, and insurance companies are very likely to
encourage this line of thinking. An agent for an insurer could even
offer you a lump sum settlement and tell you how accepting the offer
will allow you to keep more money for yourself.
In actuality,
nothing could be further from the truth. Most initial settlement
offers from insurance companies are decidedly lowball amounts nowhere
near what most victims are entitled to.
People who accept
these settlement offers often do so out of incredible financial
stress created by automobile accidents. The settlements are often
exhausted shortly after they are received, and many people find that
the settlements do not provide enough to cover various future
expenses that victims must then pay out of their own pockets.
When
you hire a car
accident personal injury lawyer, they are going to be able to
negotiate a fair and full settlement that actually covers every
single expense you have incurred or will incur because of your
accident. The attorney will be able to accomplish this by quickly
conducting their own independent investigation into your crash.
A
lawyer is not only going to be able to determine the exact cause of
an accident, but they will also preserve all of the most important
evidence relating to your case. Furthermore, an attorney will also be
able to identify every single liable party in your case.
The
attorney will then be positioned to negotiate a just settlement for
you, and settlement negotiations could stretch out over several
months, possibly even during a trial. Most insurance companies will
settle car accident cases because settlements are typically viewed as
being cheaper than paying to take a case to trial and then possibly
facing a judgment on top of that.
If an acceptable settlement
offer is not presented, then the lawyer can file a lawsuit to take
your case to trial. The attorney will be able to argue your case and
you could be awarded various kinds of compensatory damages (a
combination of economic damages and noneconomic damages) if they are
able to prove your case by a preponderance of the evidence.
Economic
damages refer to awards for tangible costs, while noneconomic damages
usually relate to more subjective types of emotional or psychological
harm. Economic damages could include medical bills, lost wages, and
property damage to your vehicle while noneconomic damages may be for
pain and suffering, emotional distress, or loss of consortium.
Do
not wait to contact an experienced Los Angeles accident attorney
after you are involved in any kind of car accident. A lawyer is
always going to give you the best chance of recovering as much
compensation as possible.
