What You Should Do After an Accident: A Step-by-Step Guide to Securing Compensation
Cities like South Bend, a city in Indiana, are famous for their tourist attractions, with millions visiting annually to enjoy the art and architecture the city offers. This can increase the risk of accidents, and if you suffer an injury in South Bend that was not your fault, reach out to a South Bend personal injury lawyer to know your legal rights.
Whether you’re suffering from injuries due to a car accident, a slip and fall accident, or any other type of accident, you may be eligible for compensation and an attorney can help you with the claims.
What to Do After an Accident
The steps you take after an accident will determine the outcome of your personal injury case. Here are some things you should do immediately after getting involved in an accident.
Call for Help
If you’re seriously injured, you need to call 911 to send over emergency services to transport you to a hospital. If you’re feeling fine with no apparent bruises or external injuries, you must still visit the hospital after the accident, as some injuries can take time to manifest.
Gather Evidence
When filing personal injury claims against the negligent party’s insurance company, you need to provide as much evidence as you can. It is crucial that you start to gather the evidence at the time of the accident, as the evidence is still fresh.
Negligent parties will try to cover their faults by removing pieces of critical evidence later on, which can make it challenging for you to prove fault, especially if you’re in a fault-based state.
If you’re able to move around, take a couple of pictures of the incident. If it’s a car accident, you want to take pictures from all angles. Make sure to take a couple of snaps of the surroundings, traffic lights, and other relevant details. The more photographs, the better it is.
If you’re unable to take pictures due to your injuries, look around for someone to help you take pictures. You can even ask the police to help you by taking photographs for you.
Exchange Details with the Negligent Party
You need to exchange contact details and insurance information with the other party involved in the accident. This is so that you can file a claim against their insurance company later on.
Look around for witnesses and if there are any, take down their contact details. Witness statements can help strengthen your case.
Don’t Speak to Anyone
The insurance company will want to know every detail about the accident, and their claims adjusters will begin calling you. Avoid providing any extra details about the incident and stick to the facts.
The more you speak, you risk providing information that may be detrimental to your case. Keep in mind that insurance companies are not looking out for your best interests, but rather their own.
Hire a Personal Injury Attorney
Once you’ve started your treatment for injuries sustained, it is crucial that you immediately reach out to a reputable personal injury attorney to handle your claim. Medical expenses can be financially taxing, and it’s not fair that you pay for someone else’s negligence.
An experienced personal injury attorney will aggressively pursue legal action against the negligent party and recover the compensation you deserve for your loss.
