4 Urgent Steps to Take After Getting in a Car Accident
The actions that you take in the moments following a car accident can have a profound impact on how well you will recover from the event financially, physically, and emotionally. However, making the right decisions and acting wisely in the heat of the moment can be difficult in the aftermath of a serious collision because you might not be thinking straight at the time. Knowing what to do beforehand ensures that you’ll be prepared to react in a safe and effective manner. With that said, here are four urgent steps that anyone should take after getting in a car accident.
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1. Contact an Accident Attorney
Staying at the scene of the accident, cooperating with the authorities, and receiving emergency medical care are all obvious steps that most people will already take by default after being involved in a collision. While you might want to just relax when you get home, you should speak to a car accident lawyer before you move on with your day. It’s best to have this initial consultation when the memory of the accident is still fresh in your mind.
2. Obtain Medical Documentation
Once you’ve spoken to an accident attorney about your case, it’s time to contact the healthcare facility that provided your ambulatory care at the scene of the accident or emergency in-patient care at the hospital. In most cases, you can simply call the hospital and ask to be transferred to their medical records department. Requesting a copy of your medical record is an important step to take because having this documentation can play in your favor in court.
3. Exchange Insurance Information
Hopefully, you’ve already gotten the contact and insurance information for the other motorists that were involved in the accident. If not, reaching out to those individuals to exchange details should be one of the first steps you take after speaking to an attorney and acquiring your medical documents. This is an urgent step because the other motorists could change their phone number, relocate to a different area, or become otherwise unreachable at some point after the accident. If you didn’t already request that information at the scene, you may need to contact the police department that responded to the accident in order to obtain contact details for the other parties involved through the police report.
4. Create a Written Account of the Accident
Another step that can really help you later on when you’re having conversations with your attorney or healthcare provider is to create a detailed written account of the accident. Writing down everything you remember on the same day it happens will help you remember every aspect of the accident more clearly.
The Longer You Wait to Take Action, The Worse the Outlook Will Be
Whether you’re seeking financial compensation or physical healing, postponing any urgent steps will only decrease your chances of seeing an optimal outcome. Taking the four steps above will ensure that you’ll have the professional help, documentation, and details needed to facilitate a smooth recovery and compensation process.
