Do’s and Don’ts After A Car Accident

 

If you sustain serious injuries in a car accident, the financial and emotional impact on your family can be severe. The shock of an accident can cause even the most level headed people to become disorientated, so it’s wise to know in advance the steps you need to take to protect your health and your finances. Doing the wrong things after an accident, or forgetting to do the right things, can jeopardize your ability to collect the compensation you’re entitled to. Here are some do’s and don’ts from the top Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Bronx car accident attorneys that will help ensure that your interests are protected.

Don’t Say No to the Ambulance

This is the number one biggest mistake every Brooklyn car accident attorney knows is most likely to substantially reduce your recovery from your injuries as well as your financial recovery. The shock of an accident can mask pain and some severe types of internal injuries will have no symptoms at all right after the trauma, so it’s important to be checked out at an emergency room where they have access to sophisticated equipment. In addition, taking the ambulance to the hospital from the scene will help your Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan or Bronx car accident attorney prove that the injuries you sustained were caused by this accident and not something else. If you go to an urgent care or your primary care doctor the next day, you not only risk your health, you’re leaving yourself open to the question about whether your claim for compensation was an afterthought. When you are questioned at a deposition about when you first sought medical attention, it’s always best to be able to say it was immediate.

Do Collect Evidence at the Scene

If you’re physically able, collecting evidence at the scene of the accident can substantially improve your case. Start with photographing all the vehicles involved, showing their position after the accident. Next, get wide shots and close ups of damage to all vehicles and to property, such as a fence, that was damaged in the crash. Try to get additional evidence that proves that the accident was caused by the other driver(s) such as videos of a drunk driver stumbling or slurring their words.

Don’t Leave Your Car in Storage

If your vehicle is towed from the scene, be sure to have it removed as soon as possible in order to avoid storage charges. Most insurance companies are willing to expedite seeing vehicles in storage in order to help their customer’s avoid storage charges, but aren’t willing to pay storage bills caused by your delay in contacting them. If the car cannot be repaired, arrange to junk it as soon as possible. If the car is drivable and you don’t want to repair it yet, be sure to move it to a place where it can be legally parked.

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