Being in a car accident can be a stressful and overwhelming experience, no matter how big or small the accident is. While dealing with injuries, vehicle damages, insurance claims, and potential legal issues, it is important to take the right steps in the aftermath to protect your rights.
A Las Vegas car accident lawyer can help you with the process of what to do after you get in your car accident and handle the legal side of things.
Seek Medical Help, Ever After Minor Injuries
Even if you feel fine following a collision, it is important to get examined by a medical professional as soon as you can. The body’s adrenaline and shock response can obscure serious issues like internal bleeding or spinal damage. An initial evaluation thoroughly documents your health status after the incident.
Discuss any tenderness, discomfort, or concerns with your physician, regardless of how trivial they may seem. Post-accident symptoms like whiplash or concussion can take days to manifest. Comprehensive reports correlate emerging health problems to the accident later on.
Schedule follow-up appointments to monitor evolving symptoms and consider physical therapy if your recovery plateaus. Some injuries degenerate over time without appropriate treatment and rehabilitation. Remaining attentive to your evolving medical requirements leads to optimal outcomes.
Collect Any Possible Evidence
If safe, gather proof of events, including photos of vehicle damage, skid marks, debris, weather conditions, and line-of-sight issues. Exchange contact and insurance details with other parties; get witness names and numbers but do not assign blame. Document the exact accident location, time, date, road conditions, vehicle positioning, and all statements verbatim.
In your own words, record objective details ASAP while fresh; memory fades quickly. Research past crashes at the site through police reports and transportation agencies. Highlight hazardous patterns for claims purposes.
Retain all medical invoices, car repair estimates, lost wage details, and other out-of-pocket expenses to help demonstrate losses. Comprehensive records help establish liability and seek fair restitution during settlement negotiations. Work closely with your attorney to organize and submit documentation.
Check for Nearby Witnesses
Carefully assess the accident scene for any potential eyewitnesses present who saw the collision occur. Politely approach witnesses, ask if they would provide a voluntary statement, and collect their contact information. Obtaining cooperative witness participation is key.
Ask witnesses to objectively write down what they observed while memories are still fresh. Make sure to focus statements on weather, estimated speed, traffic flow, vehicle movements, and other factual elements. Photos, videos, and diagram sketches can also provide critical visual perspectives.
Witness statements help accurately recreate the incident during the investigation and provide clarification of events. Be sure to gather full witness names, phone numbers, and addresses, plus any written observations for attorneys and claims agents. Credible eyewitness accounts can substantially strengthen or weaken an injury claim.
What Information to Collect After a Car Accident
Key details need immediate documentation to establish facts about what happened in any collision. Identifications, insurance data, contact info, vehicle details, and photos proving damages and injuries are vital. Always request an official police accident report.
Carefully record provided information on all involved parties: full name, address, phone numbers, driver’s license details, insurance company, policy number and expiration date. Document the make, model, year, color, license plate, and VIN of each vehicle. Get eyewitness names, contact info, and statements from those willing to share.
Take photos of all vehicle damage, property destruction, and any visible injuries sustained with time and date stamps. Most critical are images proving the severity and location of impacts. Insurance adjusters heavily weigh documentation when assessing fault and settlement options later on, and comprehensive information gathering strengthens your case.
Avoid Posting About Your Car Accident on Social Media
It can be tempting to vent about an accident or post images of damage publicly to share details or gain support. However, the information presented is discoverable and can be used to deny or reduce injury claims. Insurance adjusters actively review profiles, looking for inconsistencies inferring possible fraud.
Uploading photos of vehicle damage seems harmless. However, there can be consequences in ways that weaken your legal case. Commentary about the incident or involved parties, even light-hearted, can be used as evidence against you as admissions of potential comparative fault.
Wait until after settlement negotiations conclude before posting anything accident-related, no matter how harmless it may appear initially. Consult an attorney on if, when, or what online interactions could either help or harm legal standings moving forward. Vetting social media activity protects your interests.
Let Your Lawyer Do All the Talking to the Other Driver’s Insurance Company
Insurers start investigating and adjusting liability claims right after collisions occur, seeking to minimize payouts to accident victims. Never directly contact other parties’ insurance providers or offer any recorded statement about the incident before consulting an attorney. Be wary of quick, low-ball settlement deals presented without full awareness of legal rights.
Only provide basic claim details to your own provider. However, make sure you avoid speculative statements or conceding any chance of comparative fault to any insurer until first discussing with counsel. Insurance personnel are trained negotiators, not objective finders of fact.
Experienced legal advocates regularly deal with examiners and risk analysts, best representing client interests during disputes. They understand challenging unreasonable assessments, proving full damages, and achieving maximum compensation through settlement talks or court action if needed. If you let your attorney handle the insurance company, you can potentially have a better outcome.
Get Help with Your Accident with a Las Vegas Car Accident Attorney
If you have been in a car accident in Las Vegas, do not delay in seeking medical attention and contacting an experienced attorney to protect your rights. A lawyer can walk you through gathering evidence, documenting critical details, interacting with insurance companies, filing claims, and negotiating fair compensation for your injuries.
Contact us for a free consultation to get started on your case today to see what the next potential step you should take is.
