8 Things You Need to Remember after You’re Involved in a Mesa Car Accident

No one expects to get into a car accident – let alone a car accident that leaves them with serious injuries and changes their life. But that can happen. It can happen any time you get behind the wheel of a car. It can happen when you go to work, when you take the kids to school, or when you run out real quick to grab a gallon of milk from the grocery store around the corner. You can take steps to protect yourself, but you can’t control what other people do.

What you can do is learn the steps to protect yourself against additional harm if you’ve been involved in a car accident. If you are in an accident that is caused by another’s negligence, you should get compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and more. But if you don’t take the right steps, you may risk losing that compensation, even if you bring a personal injury lawsuit. Here are 8 things you should do after you are involved in a Mesa car accident:

Call the Police

If you are able to, the first thing you should do once the accident has occurred is call the police. You will need to document the accident, including how it happened, the damage to the vehicles, and any injuries. The police will also write up a report of the accident, which you will need when dealing with the insurance companies.

If you or anyone else in the accident is seriously injured, the police will also call an ambulance to ensure that everyone receives proper medical attention.

Get the Driver’s Information

Either while you are waiting on the police to arrive or while you are providing information, you need to take the time to get the driver’s information. You can approach the person yourself if it’s safe (some people are very angry and agitated after an accident), or you can get the information from the police officer.

You will need this information to provide to your insurance company and, later, to your personal injury attorney in Mesa. Get the person’s name, contact information, vehicle make and model, and driver’s license number.

Take Pictures

The more evidence you have for your claim or your eventual personal injury lawsuit, the better. It’s one thing to describe what happened and what devastation the accident caused, but it’s quite another to show visual proof of it.

So long as you are not incapacitated by your injuries, you should take pictures of the accident scene with your phone or other camera. Get pictures of the position of the vehicles and the surrounding area, such as the intersection, the traffic light or stop sign, glass or debris on the ground, and so on. Also take pictures of the other vehicle, since it is unlikely you will get a chance to see it again. It’s also a good idea to take pictures of the driver and passengers in case anyone claims injuries.

Don’t Make a Statement

You will likely be contacted by the other person’s insurance company the day after the accident or within a few days. Be careful not to make any statements to the insurance company. Anything you say may be used to prove your own negligence in the accident or to downplay the injuries or damages suffered.

If the insurance company contacts you, let them know that you will make a statement through an injury attorney.

Keep Track of Medical Information

A large part of proving your claims for compensation after your accident will be to show how you were injured and what that has cost you and will continue to cost you. Therefore, you will need to keep track of all your medical information, including the results of tests, information the doctor gives you about your condition, and how much you spent.

Keep all notes and receipts from your first visit to your most recent.
Your attorney may ask your doctor to provide testimony about what medical care you will continue to need later. For now, just keep track of what you have received in writing.

Stay Off Social Media

Social media never shows the full picture, even if we believe it does. The insurance company will use that to its advantage. For example, you may be claiming that your back was injured in the accident, and the insurance company may find a picture of you in a pool after your accident. You may have only been sitting in the shallow end for a few minutes, but the company could frame it to look like you spent a day swimming.

Just stay off social media. Don’t post status updates, and don’t share photos. Even if you think that what you’re sharing is private, the insurance company could find ways to access it. Just play it safe and stay off social media until your case is resolved.

Don’t Accept an Offer

The insurance company is a business that needs to make a profit to continue operating. It is going to be looking out for its bottom line, not what’s best for you. Therefore, any settlement offer it makes you is likely to be much less than it thinks it might have to pay you. Don’t ever accept an offer from the insurance company without the guidance of an injury attorney, who can tell you if the offer is appropriate for what you deserve.

Get an Attorney

The insurance company is going to have a team of lawyers looking out for its interests. You deserve to have legal counsel dedicated to protecting your rights after an accident. The right Mesa injury attorney will fight to get you the maximum compensation you deserve. Your attorney will help you understand your rights along the way and will provide expert counsel during every step of your case.

If you have been injured in a car crash that was not your fault, call Injury Lawyers Mesa today. We’re ready to fight for your rights and to get you the compensation you deserve to pay for your medical care, to cover your lost wages, and to mitigate some of the suffering you have experienced. Call us today to talk with one of our auto accident injury attorneys in Mesa.

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Injury Lawyers Mesa
1731 West Baseline Road Suite #103
Mesa, AZ 85202
602-600-6001
[email protected]
injurylawyersmesa.com