It’s not something that anyone wishes to be involved in, nor would they wish it on their worst enemies. But the sad fact is that due to the nature of the roads and driving in general, there is a likelihood that you could be involved in a serious road crash at some point in your life. Even if you take all the necessary precautions cornering your driving ability, you cannot predict the actions of others. With this in mind, the question arises of how you should deal with the aftermath if the worst comes to fruition. This article aims to provide you with six helpful legal tips that you should follow in the event of an RTA that is more than a mere fender bender so that you can recover and get to the other side without your health and finances taking too high a hit.
Consult A Legal Professional Promptly
Contacting a lawyer may be a necessary step you must take if you want to ensure that you are able to receive compensation and avoid any conflicts with your or another party’s insurance provider. Although the heading states you must contact them promptly, this doesn’t necessarily mean it is the first thing you should do. Obviously, this should only be done once you have been looked at by a medical professional and are recovering. Nonetheless, the sooner you can do this, the better your outcome will be as a lawyer can help you with a huge range of aspects, from getting you better medical care to gathering witness testimony on your behalf that you can use in court. These car accident attorneys based in Phoenix, AZ, state that your initial action should be to contact the emergency services as soon as possible; we will cover this a bit later in the post, but once you are ready, seeking legal counsel should be top of your list of actions. So, how can an attorney make the situation much more manageable for you? An attorney can:
- Help get interim payments: In the aftermath of an accident, it’s not unusual to see money drain from your bank account due to the costs of medical care and fixing your vehicle. An attorney can get interim payments from the insurer, which should help to cover most of your initial costs.
- Deal with your insurance provider: Speaking of insurance, most providers are notoriously difficult to deal with as a mere mortal. A lawyer will have the know-how to speak with them directly and make sure they don’t mess you around.
- Gather witness statements: If your accident was severe enough, it is likely you didn’t have the time or ability to collect these vital statements. Your attorney will do this on your behalf and will also ask them the right questions that should elicit the best responses.
- Negotiate: In some cases, it could be viable to take an out-of-court settlement to avoid the rigmarole of the lengthy processes. But negotiating could prove challenging if you aren’t sure what your damages are. Legal representatives will negotiate for you to get the best outcome.
They can help you with much more, but the idea is to contact them as soon as possible so they can begin the process and boost the odds of a favorable result.
Do Not Admit Fault
In legal circles, it is a cardinal sin to admit fault, even if you believe you are the person who caused the accident. It is highly tempting for most folks to admit to something because it tends to be part of an apology. But to do so is to doom your case from the outset. Once you have admitted to anything related to the incident, you automatically forfeit your right to take things further. This is not always the case, but you will save yourself a lot of hassle by simply keeping quiet and allowing your lawyer to speak on your behalf. In most cases, you will be so shaken up that you may not even know whose fault the accident was, so not saying anything outside of non-legal conversion and exchanging information is usually the best policy.
Call Emergency Services Immediately If Possible
Although there are the obvious reasons for contacting the emergency services right away, there is another, perhaps less apparent but no less crucial, reason for doing so. When they arrive on the scene, they should issue all parties an official accident report that documents the scene and what they have observed. This isn’t as comprehensive as later inspections but serves as a record of the initial event. This document can be used in your favor when it comes time to litigate, and in some cases, it could be the difference between winning and losing.
Seek Medical Attention
Regardless of whether you have sustained injuries or not, you should always seek medical attention. This could be from the paramedics attending the scene of the accident or visiting the hospital yourself. This step is vital because you won’t know if you have internal injuries until it becomes too late, and if you fail to be seen by a doctor, you may be unable to claim costs for the subsequent treatments.
Document All Relevant Information
The more you can document, the better your case will be if you choose to litigate (or, indeed, the higher your settlement could be if you choose to settle out of court). In practice, this means collecting everything from pay stubs, medical and vehicle damage bills, and transportation fees for taking you to and from your treatments. Without this information, you may be unable to claw back everything financially you have lost throughout the incident.
Follow Legal Counsel’s Advice
Never attempt to go it alone or to represent yourself during legal proceedings. No matter what you think or what you have gleaned from Google or ChatGPT, a professional lawyer will walk all over you. Consequently, it pays to listen to your legal counsel and follow their advice, as this will almost guarantee you the best results and help you to avoid any substantial losses.
Being involved in a horrific car accident will upend your life considerably and possibly cause you to lose your quality of life and see your savings depleted at an alarming rate. By following the advice in this post, you should fare better and always consult with a legal professional who will guide you through the process.
