If you were injured in an accident, there are steps to take in the immediate aftermath, the following days, and the following months. In any case, you should have a lawyer at your side to guide you through these steps.
If you are reading this just after being in an accident, there are some things you should do right now, like call 911 and collect evidence. After that, you should focus on medical care, which could take up the next few days. Then, you should always call a lawyer, get your auto insurance policy’s documents together, save any bills and communications about the accident, and consider a lawsuit.
For a free case review, call our Philadelphia car accident lawyers at The Reiff Law Firm right away at (215) 709-6940.
Call 911
You should always call 911 after a car accident. If you were injured, then you are even legally required to stop after the crash, exchange information with the driver, and report the crash to the authorities.
This also helps you in a few important ways:
- You or others may need immediate medical help, and calling 911 brings an ambulance, too.
- The other driver might be aggressive or difficult to deal with, and police can intervene, exchange information on your behalf, and discourage any inappropriate behavior.
- Police write up a report to document the accident and provide you with evidence they observed.
- The police can tell you who was involved and who might have witnessed the accident if you are unable to stay at the scene because of your injuries.
- They can tow or move vehicles and direct traffic to keep you safe.
- They can arrest the defendant for drunk driving or other serious offenses, potentially leading to a conviction you can use to support your civil case.
Get Medical Care
You need to get medical care if you were injured. Getting care helps you get better, and it prevents you from being responsible for any injuries you might have made worse by not getting treatment. It also documents the injuries and helps prove they were related to the accident.
You may need surgery, specialist appointments, and other emergency care, so get them without delay. You may also need ongoing care, so follow through with all recommended care to avoid losing damages and compensation you deserve.
Collect Evidence
If you can stay at the scene of the accident and collect evidence, you should do so. You can take pictures, take notes on your phone, take video or audio notes, or write things down with a pen and paper.
In any case, you should get all of these details:
- Names and contact info of each driver and passenger involved
- Each driver’s insurance info
- Each car’s make, model, color, and license plate number
- Names and contact info from any witnesses who saw or recorded the accident
- Pictures of the accident scene, damage, and vehicles
- Whether any video cameras, security cameras, traffic cameras, or dash cams might have caught the accident on video (we can request that video later)
- Information about the road, lighting, and weather conditions
- The specific location of the accident (cross street, mile marker, etc.)
- Any signs or signals controlling the roadway or intersection (speed limit signs, red lights, etc.)
We can follow up and collect additional evidence later.
Gather Documents
You may have started receiving communications from the other driver or their insurance company, or you may have gotten medical bills, calls from the police, or other documentation about the accident. Keep all of this so you can give it to your lawyer.
Also look for your insurance policy. Knowing what coverages you have can help us figure out the next steps for your case. If all you have is your insurance card/proof of insurance, we can work with that; otherwise, if you are able to look on the website or find your original policy documents, we can check those to see what amounts and coverages you have.
We will advise you about filing an actual insurance claim.
Call a Lawyer
At this point, you should have enough to call a lawyer. There is no need to get your medical records or request a police report first before you come to us.
Once we are on your case, we can take care of the next steps and help you understand what will happen next. Some of the next things we will focus on are as follows:
- Gathering additional evidence (video, police reports)
- Following up with your witnesses
- Contacting your insurance company for first-party payments
- Contacting the defendant’s insurance company for payment from them
- Making sure you have all the documentation you need from doctors
- Making sure your vehicle damage is appraised and documented.
We can also save any documents as they come in, so give us copies of any bills, letters, or communications you get. Do not sign anything from the other driver or an insurance company without having our Pennsylvania car accident lawyers review it.
We can guide you through any actions you need to take at this stage or any documents you need to sign to give us access and permission to do these things for you. We can also demand payment from the insurance companies and potentially file a lawsuit in court.
Things Not to Do
While there are certainly a lot of things to do after a crash, there are also some things you should avoid doing:
- Do not overexert yourself or violate doctor’s orders about what you are physically able to do while healing, as this could potentially reinjure you or make your injuries worse.
- Do not post about your injury on social media or talk to people outside of your legal team, your medical team, and trusted people (like your spouse or parents). Even when it comes to telling family, you should avoid discussing details at the risk of having your statements used against you later.
- Do not talk to the insurance company, accept any money from them, or sign any papers from them. Talking to them could give them information they shouldn’t have, and signing or accepting money could function as a settlement and end your case.
Call Our Pennsylvania Car Accident Attorneys Today
For help with your case, call The Reiff Law Firm’s Allentown personal injury lawyers today at (215) 709-6940.
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