4 Things That Establish Your Claim After An Auto Accident

June 25, 2015 @ 10:30 pm

Updated on: March 5, 2021

Car accidents can be incredibly anxious situations for everyone involved. However, it’s important to keep your cool and follow the below steps to ensure you’re protected in the event of a lawsuit. It’ll also make the job much easier for your auto accident attorney.

1. Call 9-1-1

The first thing you are going to need to do after a car accident is call 9-1-1 if someone in your vehicle is seriously injured. You can also approach the other vehicle to ask if everyone in that car is alright. If not, let them know that you have dialed 9-1-1.

When you first make contact with the other driver and passengers, only do so to show concern for their bodily injuries. You must not discuss the collision, so you must never utter anything close to an apology. It may appear as if you are taking responsibility for the crash.

2. Gather Information

You will need to exchange information with the other driver, but this should be an extremely limited conversation. You will ask for the person’s name, address, telephone number, email address and the other vehicle’s make, model, year and license number. Also, ask for the name of the other driver’s insurance carrier and the policy number.

Make sure to take photographs of your damaged vehicle, the damages to the other vehicle, the accident’s location and the passengers’ injuries. People who witnessed the crash may be willing to give you their names and addresses in the event that they are needed later to give testimony in court.

If your accident resulted in serious injuries, a police officer is likely to investigate the crash, so you will need to record his or her name, telephone number and badge number. You will be able to obtain a copy of the police report after a couple of days. It will be very helpful in determining who is responsible for the crash if you and the other driver cannot decide on your own.

3. Call Your Insurance Company

You may not be able to move your vehicle out of the street after a very serious accident. After you have called an ambulance for the injured, you can take the opportunity to call your insurance company to expedite your claim and to arrange a tow for your car. Most insurance company representatives will return your call within a 24-hour period.

4. Contact Your Lawyer

Although you have done everything right, the other driver’s insurance company could still fight you. Executives with the at-fault party’s insurance company will do everything possible to deny that their client caused the collision so that they will not have to pay you a large settlement. This means that this process could take several months or even years to be adjudicated because insurance company executives employ every possible tactic to stall during auto accident lawsuits. To ensure that your case can proceed at a steady and reasonable pace, you must have an auto accident attorney fighting for your rights.

Contact Morrow, Morrow, Ryan, Bassett & Haik

Contact the knowledgeable and skilled attorneys at Morrow, Morrow, Ryan, Bassett & Haik for an evaluation today. With over 170 years of combined experience representing the injured in state and federal courts, our attorneys are always fully prepared to remain with their auto accident lawsuits until the juries reach their verdicts. Our lawyers will ensure that you receive compensation for your injuries whether they are physical or emotional.