Got Injured From A Road Accident Recently?

If you ever get injured in an unfortunate road accident, there are a few essential steps that need to be taken right away to ensure your lawful rights and compensation. Millions of car accidents occur every year. Fortunately, most of them result in nothing more than property damage. That is the damage incurred to the vehicles involved as opposed to physical damage to the people. However, one in every three road crashes results in personal injuries to the drivers or passengers involved. Around 20% of these accidents are fatal. If you or someone you care about is ever involved in a car accident that caused personal injuries, several things must be done to ensure total compensation. Keep reading for detailed instructions.

Call 911

After the crash and after you make sure you’re safe, the first thing you need to do is call the authorities and report the accident. Whether it’s a big or minor collision, you have to call 911 and ask them to come and document the scene. This is enforced legally in most states, and not abiding by the rules or leaving the scene can put you in legal trouble. Once the police arrive, they’ll file a report of the incident and include all accident details. If they can’t come to your location, you can drive or walk to the nearest police station and make the report yourself. This report is essential for your case when you file a personal injury claim as your insurance company will ask for a copy of it.

Get the Witnesses’ Contact Information

Usually, if there were any witnesses in a car accident, they wouldn’t stick around until the police arrive at the scene. If your injuries don’t prevent you from moving or talking, make sure you obtain witness contact information before the authorities arrive. A third party’s testimony can help law enforcement determine which driver was at fault and what caused the accident. Police reports don’t always document everything from eye-witnesses; they can leave out important information, such as their last name or phone number. If you want one of the witnesses to testify for you at court, you will need to take their contact information correctly at the accident scene.

Seek Immediate Medical Assistance

Worrying about your medical expenses and delaying your hospital check-ups will not do you any good. Your insurance company is more likely to debate your claim or reject it if you delay your medical examinations as it shows them that you’re not hurt. Most insurance companies use that defense against their injury claims; they suggest that not taking an ambulance to the hospital immediately after the accident or delaying your diagnosis to wait for the pain to go away means you’re not seriously hurt or entitled to compensation. Sometimes, if the claim is delayed, the insurer will claim that the injuries might have taken place earlier or later than the original time in which you sought medical help. If medical care is not considered immediately, you may not be able to obtain your compensation.

Protect Your Rights

If you live in Canada, you’re probably aware of the ICBC policy denying compensation to victims injured in LVI or low-velocity impacts. You can lose your rights to be compensated if you don’t know how to represent your case legally. With the help of an ICBC lawyer in Vancouver, you can receive legal advice and protect valuable evidence from being destroyed. Personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, so you won’t have to pay a fee until your case is settled and won.

Don’t Give Any Statements to Insurance Companies

Insurers always contact their policyholders after their involvement in serious incidents to obtain whatever information they can get about the accident. They do this because they’re aware that most accident victims won’t bother to speak to an attorney and learn about their rights. They’ll take the information they can use against you later when you file your claim to your insurer rather than to the other driver’s insurance company. Therefore, never share any information with your insurance company until you receive legal advice from your attorney.

It’s very important to act and think quickly when exposed to serious situations such as car crashes. You need to ensure your injuries aren’t preventing you from moving, then proceed to collect all necessary information from the accident scene to use later in your injury claim. You also need to make sure everything, including your injuries, is documented and on record so you can obtain your rightful compensation for your losses.