What to do if You’re Injured in a Car Accident

Injured in a Car Accident

Getting into a car accident is never a fun experience, no matter if you’re the one who caused the accident or the victim of the accident. There’s a lot of paperwork to be filled out, there’s a lot of time to spend on the phone with insurance companies and/or body shops, and there can even be time spent in the hospital due to injury.

If you walk away from an accident without a scratch, you should consider yourself lucky. Car accident injuries and deaths are on the rise, so you should be happy when you’re not a statistic. However, sometimes an accident will cause you to sustain some injuries. If this occurs, you’ll need to know what to do. The following information will help teach you what to do if you are injured in a car accident.

Go to the doctor.

If you sustain an injury because of an accident, you need to seek medical treatment right away. If the injury is severe, allow the on-site paramedics to treat you and/or take you to the hospital for further treatment. If the injury is not severe, you can schedule an appointment with your doctor on your own time. Make sure that he or she knows about the car accident, as they’ll be able to let you know if the injuries you sustained were due to the accident. Even if your symptoms are mild pain or dizziness, head to your doctor for treatment. If you end up filing a personal injury claim, then you’ll need documented proof from your doctor about the injuries you sustained.

Aside from just going to the doctor, you want to make sure that you are also listening to your doctor. Don’t try and go back to work if your doctor told you not to. If you are caught disobeying your doctor’s orders, it could have a negative impact on your case.

Take detailed notes and photos.

Along with information and documentation from your doctor, you also want to take detailed notes and pictures of the accident as well as your injuries. Be sure to take pictures of the car accident to show the damage to your vehicle. If you have bruises or other injuries, make sure to take photos of these too, as they can be used as evidence in your personal injury claim.

You also want to make sure you write down the date and time you saw a doctor, as well as the name and contact information for that doctor. Be sure to keep receipts or notes from that doctor as well, as you’ll also need this for your case. You should also keep medical bills and even travel expenses. You’ll also want to keep a detailed journal of the injuries you sustained too, including level of pain, medication/treatment you were prescribed, etc. All of this will benefit your case.

Provide the information to your insurance company.

When you contact your insurance company regarding the accident, you should be sure to tell them about the injuries, etc. They’ll want to know all of this information for their own records, and they’ll also need the information when contacting the other insurance company on your behalf. Make sure you provide them with copies of all the information you kept, such as doctor bills, information from your doctor, etc.

Consider a car accident attorney.

Car accidents may need more than just your insurance company’s help, which is why you should consider a car accident attorney. These professionals understand the laws about car accidents in your state as well as personal injury, and they’ll be able to work hard for you to ensure that you are not liable for the injuries you sustained as well as the costs you incurred because of it. A car accident attorney will be able to ensure that you are compensated by the person at fault for not only your medical bills, but also for any time you may have been out of work as well as other expenses you have because of the accident.