Posted in Personal Injury Lawyer
No matter how major or how minor an accident may seem, whether it occurred on a fast-moving freeway or a quiet residential street, whether only one vehicle or several were involved- it is important to remember that the people involved in an accident should be made as safe as possible directly after the impact.
If you or anyone is injured it is important to seek medical attention right away. One way of doing this is to call 9-1-1.
If you have not been injured from being in a car accident in Washington DC, it is a good idea to get out of your vehicle and get yourself out of harm’s way. If any sort of fire has started after an accident, or if you see or smell fluids or gases, you should get yourself and others to spots that are a safe distance from the vehicles involved in the crash. As well, no one should be in a spot where they can get injured by other moving vehicles.
Once you and the people involved in an accident in Washington DC are not in a precarious or potentially dangerous situation, it is important to call the proper authorities such as the police and/or highway patrol. When you know that help is on the way, you may want to give your insurance a call for guidance on what your next steps should be. You may also find it helpful to get in contact with a lawyer who practices in the Washington DC area.
Get Medical Attention
While many injuries that occur during a car accident are immediately apparent, some are not. Sometimes the adrenaline from an injury will mask pain. Some injuries are not visible and some internal injuries do not present symptoms that a layperson can recognize.
If you know that you have been injured or even if you just don’t feel right, get medical attention as soon as possible. If you start to have problems or symptoms that you have not experienced before in the days and weeks following an accident, you may have injuries from the accident. When it comes to your health and the health of your family after you have been in a car accident in Washington DC, it can be helpful to play it safe by getting a medical examination even if you do not think you need one.
Be Careful Who You Talk To
While many of us have the impulse to talk about stressful situations, keep in mind that if you talk about an accident that you were in Washington DC, there are many people who would like to use your words against you when it comes to finding fault for the accident.
It is a good idea to keep a record of what you remember about an accident but it can be a bad idea to share this information with the other people involved in the accident, their insurance companies, or even on your own social media networks.
In order to protect yourself, you may find it helpful to talk to a lawyer about the accident you were in before you talk to others about it.
Document the Accident
When possible, it is a good idea to document an accident as soon as possible. If you can take photos of the accident scene and/or write down or make an audio recording of what you remember, this may be valuable to you to you in the days and weeks (and sometimes months or years) following an accident.
Insurance
Unless the other driver or drivers are taken away in emergency vehicles, it is important to get their insurance information and to give them yours. It does not matter who caused the accident or whether you and the other driver disagree on this, not having each other’s insurance information can cause problems in the future. Many people find it helpful to contact their own insurance immediately following an accident. Depending on the severity of an accident, some people may prefer to pay for damages to another person’s vehicle out of pocket so that their insurance rates are not affected.
Police
Not all accidents require the police to come to the scene. If they do, it is a good idea to be polite to them and to let them do their job without interference. It is usually in a person’s best interest to participate with police in the aftermath of a car accident.
Contact an Attorney
Not all car accidents require the help of an attorney but many do. If you think you may need an attorney or are not sure if you do, you can contact Cohen & Cohen for a free case evaluation, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
