You are in a car accident on Dixie Highway. What do you do now?
1) Call the Police
Always call the police when you are in a car accident. This protects your claim from being challenged by the insurance company on two fronts. First, the police officer should conduct a thorough review, which will reflect whose at-fault for the wreck. Second, if you don't get a police report then insurance company may challenge you were in a car accident all together. This can create a major delay on your case. The insurance company will likely break, but the delay will be painstakingly long.
2) Do Not Apologize
Check on the other party and ask if an ambulance is needed, but never apologize. Your statements at the scene of an accident will be used against you, even if you were not at fault.
3) Seek Medical Care
It does not hurt that bad. It will be okay, I am only a little sore. These thoughts will enter your mind if you are in a wreck that doesn't lead to significant injury. These thoughts will destroy your case and potentially harm you for the rest of your life. We have had several clients involved in "minor" accidents that were in worse condition than those in "major" accidents. To me no car accident is minor. The human body is not designed to withstand the force created by a car hitting you. While your car may look okay, your body could be injured. I urge you to be examined by a medical provider within the first 24 hours of a wreck. Once you have been examined, if no major injurers were found, follow up with your primary care physician and/or go see a medical group who specializes in treating whiplash injury.
4) Notify Your Insurance Company
If your case is minor, then you probably do not need a personal injury attorney, however, if the insurance company starts saying they will not cover your bills, property damage, give you the run around then you will need to call an experienced personal injury firm. With that said, you should notify your insurance company of the wreck. Again, only notify them. Don't explain how it happened or what happened. Let an expert handled that. Furthermore, the police report and medical records will speak for themselves, thus you should not have to. The insurance company is seeking any reason not pay your claim. You may speak to your insurance company on the limited basis to discuss property damage. You should never speak with the other party's insurance company. They are your opposition in the case and while they may seem nice, they are only looking to diminish your case value.
5) Call A Neighborhood Law Firm
Contact us and we will take it from here. We specialize in wreck on and around the Dixie Highway area. We are conveniently located on Dixie Highway in Louisville and your first consultation is 100% Free.
