It’s not uncommon to find yourself confused and unsure what to do when you end up in a car accident. Few people ever expect to become involved in an accident, and it’s often because they’re safe drivers who do what’s necessary to stay safe on the road. Sadly, not all drivers have the same respect for the rules of the road. When someone hits you and causes an accident, there are so many details to be ironed out it takes a while to figure out what to do. If you’ve never been involved in an accident in the past, you might not know what to expect. There are forms to fill out, people to contact, and there is a lot of confusion following an accident. Here’s what to do.
Call the Police
Remain calm when you’ve been hit. As long as there are not signs on the side of the road telling you to move accident cars from the road, leave your car where it is and get out if you can. It’s safer to be away from the vehicle than in the vehicle since you don’t know what might have been impacted in the crash. Call the police, and tell them where you are, what happened, and where to find you. When you get off the phone with the police operator, you’ll want to snap as many photos from as many angles as you can with your camera. Take many photos of each angle to be sure you’re able to get clear photos. You don’t know if they’ll be necessary, but it’s a much better idea to have photos as evidence of what happened in the accident than not.
Wait for the police to arrive. You don’t want to speak to the person in the other car other than to make sure they’re all right and to exchange personal information. Do not discuss personal information such as who was to blame, what was happening in the car, and do not apologize for the accident. anything you say can be misconstrued as admitting you were to blame for the accident. You want to avoid this.
Fill Out Police Report
When the police arrive on the scene of your accident, explain what happened. Tell them your version of the story, and read all the paperwork they provide you. Do not sign anything until you read it in full, and do not make the mistake of signing anything that doesn’t seem entirely accurate. There are other forms you might be asked to fill out and sign in the days following an accident. This might include:
– No fault insurance form
– Disability paperwork
– Insurance forms
– Employer forms
– Health insurance and hospital paperwork
These are standard forms, and there might be more depending on where you live and what you do for a living. Don’t panic if you feel uncomfortable with the amount of paperwork being provided to you. It’s not uncommon for victims of an accident to wonder why they must fill out so much paperwork, and you’re not going to do yourself any favors not taking this paperwork seriously.
These forms can determine what you pay out of pocket for medical or repair costs, how you are treated at the hospital, and how your claims are handled when you are injured. You want to be sure all the information on all forms is filled out correctly, and you want to file them with the correct people. Not filling out this information properly can result in delayed insurance, and no one can afford to wait on insurance to pay for their health or damage issues.
Call an Attorney
If you are unclear what is going on and how you can protect yourself, you want to call an accident attorney. You’ll find many of them are located all over your area, but you want the company with the best reputation. An accident attorney can look over any paperwork you’re required to sign following an accident to help ensure you don’t fill out any information you shouldn’t.
An attorney can help you with much more, from filling out the proper insurance information to seeking damages from the at-fault driver. If you were not to blame but you were injured in the accident, you want to see if there is anything you can do to help offset the cost of the many different expenses you’re facing following the accident. Car repairs, medical bills, and even the lost wages you face from being unable to work following your accident, you don’t want to pay for these on your own. You want to seek damages where they’re due, and an attorney can help.