If you ever get in a car accident, it helps to know in advance what you should do to protect yourself and others, both at the scene and for your future. Be sure to talk to a Hendersonville, NC motor vehicle accident lawyer as soon as possible after your accident to ensure your right are protected and you’re able to get the compensation you need.
1. Think About Immediate Safety
The first step is to ensure the safety of everyone involved. If possible, move your vehicle to the side of the road to prevent further accidents. Turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers of the situation. If anyone is injured, call 911 immediately to request medical assistance. Even if you think no one was badly injured, you are required by law to stop and exchange information.
2. Contact Law Enforcement
In North Carolina, you must contact law enforcement after a car accident if there are injuries or significant property damage. The responding officers will create an official accident report, which is an important document for insurance claims and potential legal actions. This report will have details about the accident, statements from involved parties and witnesses, and the officer’s assessment of the scene. If anyone offers you money to just drive off without calling the police, ignore them.
3. Exchange Information with Other Parties
Exchange information with the other driver(s) involved in the accident. Get the names, addresses, phone numbers, driver’s license numbers, license plate numbers, and insurance information of all other drivers involved, and give them yours, regardless of who you believe is at fault.
While exchanging information, remain calm and avoid discussing fault. It should go without saying that if the other driver is being belligerent in a way that makes you fear for your safety, move away from them and just wait for the police.
4. Obtain Medical Attention
Assuming that you were not injured so badly that you called 911 immediately, you should still go to urgent care or the ER once you are finished dealing with the immediate scene of the accident. There are a number of serious medical conditions that may show no outward symptoms for a time, such as internal bleeding, and others, like whiplash, that are masked by the adrenaline of the situation. It’s very important to both your health and any future claim you may make that you have a medical professional check you out as soon as possible after the accident.
5. Call a Car Accident Attorney
An attorney will help you understand your legal options and the potential value of your claim, provide a buffer between you and the other driver, and ensure that you’re not taken advantage of or your rights ignored. Once you have an attorney, you can refer all inquiries from the insurance company to your lawyer. This makes it much harder for an insurance company to take advantage of your confusion, trauma after the accident, or ignorance of the law and your own rights to manipulate you into saying something that could jeopardize your claim for compensation.
If you’ve been in an accident, contact us at Yelverton Litigators from anywhere in North or South Carolina for a free consultation.
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