- How To Protect Your Rights After A Car Crash
When you’re involved in a car crash, it can often feel as though your life has been turned upside down. This can be the case for many who have their vehicle written off or have to spend time off work to recover from a pretty nasty injury.
It’s important to know what your rights are when you’re involved in a car crash and how to protect those rights from the moment an accident or an intentional one happens. This guide will help you understand what to do and how to protect your rights in case a car crash occurs.
What to do immediately after the crash
As soon as the crash has happened, it’s important to ensure law enforcement arrives promptly to create an official report and to collect any evidence and witness testimonies at the scene.
Once you’ve dialed, check yourself over for injuries and move to a safe location where possible. Your hazard lights should ideally be turned on if they’re still functional. Be sure at this point to also start exchanging information from all drivers involved. From their names to insurance details and driver’s license numbers.
If there are any witnesses around, identifying these witnesses and getting their contact details is also helpful.
Protect your legal and medical rights
You must be protecting yourself both legally and medically, too. Once police have arrived and you’re able to leave the scene, seek medical care immediately. It’s worth going to the ER or urgent care within 24 hours of the crash.
Even if you feel fine, symptoms can appear later on, such as whiplash or minor versions of it that could still leave you out of work
In situations where you may feel like fault is your own, avoid saying im sorry or taking the blame. Otherwise, this could be something that’s used against you later down the line.
Don’t give any recorded statements from insurance adjusters until you speak to your attorney first. An accident injury attorney may be able to find more opportunities in what has occurred that insurance companies might look to get around.
Detailed records are important to keep, even if you don’t think the accident will amount to anything for your benefit. Creating a file with the police report number, medical reports, and all expenses related to the accident should be documented. That way, if you need to rely on anything further down the line as evidence, you have it available.
As mentioned above, contacting an attorney is a good way of understanding your rights, especially before you go ahead and sign any documents where you’re accepting responsibility or alternativelym a fast and low-ball settlements that you feel is enough.
Protecting your rights after a car crash is important, but it’s easy for those rights to be taken advantage of, especially if you’re not thinking straight. Make sure you’re following all the guidance on this list to help protect yourself when you find yourself involved in any car crash, minor or major.