I’ve Been In an Accident: Now What?

Nothing ruins your day faster than being involved in a car accident. while most of us who may get into a car accident are fortunate enough to only experience minor scratches and bruise, others may not be so lucky. Sometimes you find yourself with major damage to your car so much so that you are not able to drive away from the scene of the accident and instead have to have your car towed.

Even worse is the feeling that when you’ve left the accident, you’ve forgotten to do something. As you are going home, there is a nagging suspicion that there was something you have to do that you forgot. You are checking your phone and all of the information that you have only to realize that you forgot to take a picture of the other driver’s license. Or, even worse you forgot, in all of the chaos to get their information and now you don’t know how to contact them.

Having a check list available to you at a time like this can make your life easy and can ensure that you don’t forget to do important tasks especially when you are in a high pressure and stress situation like just being involved in a car accident.

Immediately after the Accident

• Make sure that you are Out of the way of Danger: one of the most important things to do after an accident is to survey the area that you are in. if you are on the freeway, a main road, or any other high traffic area, then you are going to want to make sure that you get over to a safe area immediately whether it is the shoulder or off of the road completely if you are able to do so. Make sure to be careful to get over to an area where you are not at risk of getting hurt by cars that are driving by.

• Optional* Call emergency services: if you or someone else has been hurt at the scene of the accident, then one of the most important things to do is to make sure that you contact the appropriate emergency services so that they are able to dispatch to you help that you may need. This could include the police, an ambulance or other emergency services.
  • Remember, if there is someone in your vehicle or another vehicle who is stuck or has broken a bone, it is important to not to try and remove them if it is safe to do so as this could cause further trauma and injury.

• Swap information with the other driver: make sure to exchange contact information with the other driver including a good method of contact which you can use for each other and also insurance information. Generally, the best thing to do is to take a picture of each other’s insurance information as well as license.

• Take pictures: make sure to take clear picture of your car and their car. Don’t limit the pictures to only where the damage occurred but make sure to have pictures of all of the parts of their car being the damages parts and the other areas of their vehicle. A picture of their license plate is also a good idea.

• Remove your car from the scene of the accident: once you have finished swapping information and taking pictures, you can now leave the scene of the accident. make sure to talk to the other party and formulate a plan of insurance claims. In addition, if your car is not able to drive away from the scene of the accident because the damage is too extensive, then be sure to call a tow truck to tow your car away and send it to the nearest trusted body shop.

When you get home

• Review your insurance policy: while it is a good idea to always be aware of what your insurance policy covers, this is usually a good time to review your policy and make sure that you know what your limits are, whether your insurance will cover rental cars, and what the process of starting a claim is.

• Call your/ the other drivers insurance company: once you have all of the information you need and have reviewed your policy, be sure to call your insurance provider, and report your accident. this is where you will give your insurance company all of the information that they need to know in order to go ahead and get the claim started for you and to make any other arrangements which you may need.

Hire an Experienced Car Accident Attorney

Whenever you’ve been involved in an accident, the most important step to take is to hire an experienced car accident attorney who can make sure that you are fairly compensated for any injuries that you have sustained whether it is to your body or to your property. The attorneys of Heidari Law Group are experienced in personal injury and car accident claims and will make sure to help you receive the maximum compensation which you deserve.

If you or someone you know has recently been in a car accident and now finds themselves in a situation where they think they may not have gotten the maximum compensation they deserve, or now, are suffering from health issues which they did not foresee at the time of their accident, an experienced attorney will be able to help you in your road to recovery and in your personal injury claim.

Even if you did not follow all of the checklist immediately after your ancient, the experienced attorneys at Heidari Law Group are able to make sure that you receive the maximum compensation whether you have suffered injuries to your body, to your property, or other pain and suffering. With offices in Fresno, California, Sacramento, California, Los Angeles, California, Irvine, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada, the Heidari Law Group has qualified attorneys who are experts in recovering the maximum compensation that their clients deserve.

Regardless of you have been in an accident and suffered injuries    in California or Nevada, the Heidari Law Group is able to assist you at every step of your recovery process and ensure that you are equipped with all the tools that you need in order to receive fair and maximum compensation. Reach out to our offices and call for a free consultation today!

***Disclaimer: This blog is created by Heidari Law Group for educational purposes. This article provides a general understanding of the law. It does not provide specific advice. By using this site and reading through this blog, there is no attorney-client relationship created between you and any member of Heidari Law. Further, due the constant change of the law, some parts of the information above may no longer be good law.