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7 Steps to Take After Getting in an Accident That Clearly Wasn’t Your Fault
Car accidents are a traumatic experience for anyone involved. This is all the more so pronounced when the accident is not your fault. Beyond dealing with the effects of the accident, there is also the disturbance that comes with having to cope with the impact of someone else’s actions. There are steps that you can take to protect your interests if you have been in an accident that was not your fault. It is vital that you get organized as quickly as possible.
Stay Calm
This is perhaps the most important thing that you can do that will help your cause. There are many decisions to be made in the immediate aftermath of an accident, and you must be thinking clearly in order to make them. If it is at all possible to collect your thoughts after the accident, you must do so.
Avoid the Other Driver
You must exchange insurance information with the other driver. That is the extent of your obligations in dealing with the other driver. You should avoid the inclination to re-litigate the accident with the other driver. Nothing good can come of that, and it can only damage your case going forward.
Seek Medical Help
If you have any inkling whatsoever that you may have been injured in any way, it is always best to seek immediate medical attention at the scene of the accident. This will help you prove that any medical condition that you have occurred as a result of the accident. In addition, your health must come before everything else.
Gather Witnesses
You will need these witnesses to help prove that the other driver was at fault. The scene of the accident is really the only place that you can get a sense of who has seen the accident and what occurred. You should talk to potential witnesses and ask them what they saw. Then, you should take down their contract information to pass it along to your insurance company or lawyer.
Call the Police
Having a police report regarding the accident will help your case immeasurably. If the other driver has committed a moving violation that caused the accident, the police can issue them a citation. The police report may not be persuasive in court, but anything said by the police that helps advance your version of events will be valuable.
Contact Insurance Company
One of the first calls that you make must be to your insurance company. You must report the accident to the insurance company. If you are not at fault for the accident, your insurance company should be acting as your advocate. At the very minimum, the insurance company needs to begin processing the accident and claim.
Hire a Lawyer
In many instances, handling the fallout from an accident is not something that you can do on your own. Especially when there are injuries involved, it is essential to have an adviser and advocate on your side that will ensure that you receive full compensation. Injury lawyers with 30 years of experience can be helpful as you begin to assess your legal options following an accident. This is not an area where you should be going alone. You might want to find a lawyer who works in the specific niche relevant to you. BDIW motor vehicle accidents legal support is a good option if you were in a car accident.
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