The aftermath of a car accident can be nerve-wracking. You could be dealing with injuries, frazzled nerves, and the loss of the use of your vehicle. For this reason, saying something that can get in the way of a legal claim later is a real possibility. When you initially start working with a car accident law firm, they will want to make sure you have taken the proper steps without insinuating the accident was your fault. Take a look at the four key steps to take after you've been involved in an auto accident that was not your fault.
Make sure the authorities are notified but share only the facts.
Contact the local authorities immediately after the accident takes place. The authorities will create an incident or police report that will be extremely important if you have to seek legal counsel later. However, when the authorities arrive, simply share with them the facts of the accident from your perspective. Going into detail or giving too much information can dilute the facts and reduce clarity regarding who is actually at fault.
Collect any evidence you suspect you may need later.
Preferably before the vehicles leave the scene of the accident, get pictures of the scene and how the vehicles are arranged. If you don't have a smartphone on hand with a decent camera, ask a bystander to take pictures and send them to you if possible. Pictures of tire marks, the positions of both vehicles, and even the surrounding signage and traffic lights can be helpful. Take note of businesses in the area that may have exterior surveillance, as this may be useful later if there are questions about who was at fault.
Call the insurance company to report the incident but avoid oversharing.
At this point, contacting the insurance company will be required. Unfortunately, this is often where individuals who are not at fault accidentally say something that makes it look like the opposite is true. Simply contact your insurance company and state that you need to file a claim. The insurer will want you to provide a copy of the police report and your version of events. However, avoid oversharing or agreeing to in-depth questioning. You can file the claim without going into detail, even if the insurance agent you speak with tries to lead you to believe otherwise. Once you have filed the claim and spoken with an attorney, they can guide you through any further questioning.
To learn more, contact a car accident law firm in your area such as Blackwell Ruiz Injury Law.
Share13 January 2023
After I was in a car accident, I wasn't sure what I was going to do in the future. I had some really significant back and neck pain, so I started talking with a lawyer about how to recover some of my losses. I began working with an attorney to take care of things, but I was nervous about how the process would unfold. I began working with the attorney to evaluate every component of the incident, and help me to decode the problems I was faced with. We worked on learning more about the lawsuit, and it helped me to make sense of the situation. Learn more about accidents on this blog.