Getting injured in a car accident can be very traumatic. It’s often sudden and violent, and can leave you and your loved ones with serious injuries. You might not realize it, but you can get compensation for those injuries if the other driver was at fault. There are many ways in which injuries from a car accident can affect you, whether it be in the near-term or the long-term.
If you want to get compensation for your injuries, then it is always best to consult with an experienced and knowledgeable attorney. They can help you get the best result possible no matter the situation, whether it’s a settlement for a herniated disc or for broken bones and amputations.
Common Car Accident Injuries
There are many ways that a car accident can cause harm. Even if you don’t have physical injuries, the impact can cause your body to violently shake back and forth. This can lead to spine and back injuries, for starters. It can also cause brain trauma from your brain hitting your skull from the sudden movement.
You can also suffer lacerations from coming into contact with the road, the car, or from broken glass. Many victims also suffer from broken bones, wounds from getting impaled, and burns. Any type of harm can have long-lasting effects on your health, quality of life, and your ability to work and earn money. On top of that, people can very easily die in car accidents, which can lead to many financial burdens that pile up on top of the grief you might feel.
While a lawyer can do a lot of the heavy lifting, there is work you can do to help. If you find yourself in the aftermath of an accident, then you can take certain steps to help the process and give your attorneys everything they need to get you the best settlement possible.
Get Medical Attention
The first thing you need to do is get medical attention and make sure that everyone is safe. You might not even think that you are hurt, but there could be internal injuries that don’t leave marks and may not be immediately apparent. Beyond making sure that you do whatever you can to protect your health, it can also help with an eventual lawsuit.
Getting medical attention will ensure that all of your injuries are officially documented by medical professionals. You can ask them to take photos as well so that you have a record of how your injuries looked immediately after the accident. This documentation could prove to be very important when you need to prove your injuries later on after they’ve all started healing.
Trade Information With Other Drivers
If you are physically able, then provide any other drivers with your license and insurance information. If it is a minor fender-bender, then this process is simple. Keep calm and politely request the information from the other driver. Tensions might be high, and it is never a good idea to escalate them.
If the accident involves a parked car that is unoccupied, then you have to make every effort to contact the owner. If you cannot, then you should contact the police. Getting contact information as soon as possible can prevent the negligent party from trying to drive off and avoid consequences.
Report The Accident
Every driver involved should report to the police as soon as possible. If there are serious injuries or someone dies, then everyone should report immediately. It is a crime to leave the scene of an accident if there has been a fatality or an injury. By giving a statement to the police as soon after the incident as possible, then you will have a record of what you experienced and saw while it was fresh in your memory.
Police information will be very important during any future lawsuit, since lawyers will be able to examine the statements of everyone involved to find inconsistencies. For this reason, do not lie to the police, even if you think it makes you look bad.
Take Photos
If you are able, take photos of everything you can. This includes the scene of the accident and any injuries that you’ve suffered. The sooner you can take them, the better. Information that is taken closer to the time of the accident will be more valuable and credible than from later on. You should document damage to the vehicles, any marks on the road, and anything else that you think might be relevant. Take as many as you want, and your attorney will be able to identify which are useful and which are not.
Getting into an accident is stressful enough, and having to heal from injuries should be your primary focus. That’s why hiring an attorney is so important. They can handle getting you a settlement that you deserve while you can work on more important things. However, in the aftermath of the accident, taking any of these steps that you are able to will go a long way towards helping them have success.