What to Do After a Car Accident

What to Do After a Car Accident

Six million car accidents occur every year in the United States, leaving over 3 million people injured. Car accidents permanently injure about 2 million drivers each year, and more than 90 people die from car accidents every day. Many people injured in a car crash will experience long-lasting physical, emotional, and financial consequences.

Texas is the most accident-prone state in the US and one of the top states for pedestrian deaths from car accidents. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that Texas had the most traffic fatalities than any other US state in one recent year, with 3,407 fatal crash counts and 3,776 deaths.

Some of the leading causes of car accidents for which you might need a car accident lawyer include:

  • Speeding
  • Distracted driving
  • Failure to yield
  • Unsafe lane changes
  • Disregard for stop signs and lights
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol.

A car accident is a terrifying and shocking experience. Some only result in property damage, but others can cause minor to severe injuries or death. If you’ve been in a car accident, take the following steps to receive the compensation you deserve:

What to do after a car accident injury?

1. Call the Police or File a Crash Report

Under Texas Transportation Code section 550.026, if a driver of any vehicle is in an accident that results in either the injury or death of a person or vehicle damage, making the vehicle undrivable from the scene, they must immediately report the accident to the local police department. If the crash occurred outside a municipality, you must call the local sheriff’s office.

When contacting the police, let the dispatcher know your location, what, if any, injuries you sustained from the car accident, and any hazards around the accident scene.

When the police arrive, you may speak with the investigating officer to give your perspective about the accident’s cause and events. When asked, you must provide the officer with your full name, address, proof of registration, and insurance.

At the accident scene, police officers:

  • Coordinate care and transportation of the injured party to receive immediate medical care
  • Make arrangements to have disabled cars towed
  • Verify the driver’s insurance information
  • Issue traffic citations.

Officers also collect evidence at the accident scene and determine the cause of the accident. You will need a copy of the crash report, which you can purchase online from the Texas Department of Transportation. This document is vital when seeking compensation from the negligent driver, and if you have a car accident injury lawyer, they can get it for you. 

If the police do not investigate the scene and the car accident results in death, injury, or more than $1,000 worth of property damages, you must file a Crash Report, Form CR-2, within 10 days of the accident.

2. Collect Information and Gather Evidence at the Car Accident Scene

Property damage and personal injuries are usually the responsibility of the at-fault driver.

Texas requires drivers to share:

  • Their names and addresses
  • Their driver’s license information
  • Registration number of each car
  • Name and contact details of each driver’s insurance company.

If a negligent or reckless driver caused the car accident leading to your subsequent property damage and injuries, you must collect this information and gather evidence for future settlement or litigation.

Helpful information for you to gather includes:

  • Identifying information of the vehicle(s) in the accident, including model, make, year, license plate number, and vehicle identification number.
  • Passengers’ information, including contact details and behavior.
  • Photographs and videos of the crash scene, if you can safely take them. This is compelling evidence for your car accident injury lawyer that accurately captures what occurred at the accident scene, including weather and road conditions. This evidence makes it difficult for the at-fault party to deny liability in the future.
  • Witness statements may help you identify the at-fault driver and provide other useful information for your future insurance claim. Get the names and contact information of witnesses if they will offer it. Witnesses must sign and date each page of any written statement.

3. Go to the Hospital to Check for Car Accident Injuries

People usually experience shock when accidents happen, so they don’t think about seeking medical attention immediately. After a car accident, emergency services will come to your aid and take you to the closest hospital if you sustained serious injuries.

Unlike with obvious injuries, such as broken bones and bleeding, some health conditions resulting from a car accident might not show immediate symptoms. In response to pain and stress, your body produces endorphins and adrenaline, which temporarily mask the pain until your body and mind recover from the initial stress of the accident. So a lack of immediate physical symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of injuries.

Seek medical attention for potential unseen injuries immediately after a car accident to get a proper diagnosis and a basis for a future insurance claim, and increase your chances of success by using an experienced car accident lawyer. Maintain all records and receipts for medical expenses, as you can recover these costs when seeking compensation from the at-fault driver

Texas law requires the at-fault driver to render proper assistance to any person injured in an accident, including making arrangements for the injured to receive medical attention as soon as possible. Doctors at the hospital will diagnose you, check for injuries, treat you, and record the diagnosis. Seeking medical attention right away helps support your claim that your injuries resulted from a car accident and not from a pre-existing condition.

When a doctor prescribes a course of treatment for your injuries, follow through with the treatment plan until your doctor releases you from it. A vigilant patient prevents insurance companies from alleging that a refusal to follow the treatment plan has exacerbated the injuries or slowed down the healing process, thus reducing a settlement or refusing to pay any costs associated with treatment.

Finally, remember to ask your doctor for a copy of your medical records. Review them carefully and make sure that the car accident description and your symptoms are accurate. If not, ask your doctor to correct the errors. Medical records can also help support your claims when negotiating with the at-fault driver and their insurance company to compensate you for your injuries. Your car accident lawyer can help you obtain, confirm, and correct all of this information.

4. Call Your Insurance Company and the at-Fault Driver’s Insurance Company

Texas is a fault car insurance state, which means that an injured party in a car accident can seek compensation from the at-fault driver and their insurance company. The available compensation includes costs of damaged property, medical bills, and any related expenses or damages sustained due to the at-fault driver’s negligent actions. You can file a claim with your own insurance company, with the other party’s insurance company, or sue the at-fault driver in court with a car accident injury lawyer.

Most auto insurance policies contain clauses that require you to inform the insurance company when you’ve been in a car accident. Notifying the insurance company immediately after an accident allows an earlier investigation to begin and protects your interests right away. Failure to do so can give the other party the advantage of contacting your insurance company first and falsely claiming that you caused the accident.

Remember, symptoms resulting from minor injuries might not appear immediately after a car accident, so contact your insurance company even if you don’t have any injuries. 

If you believe the other party caused the car accident, you can contact the at-fault driver’s insurance company to seek compensation. They’ll likely refer you to a claims adjuster, who determines how much the insurance company should pay based on your property damages and injuries.

Assessing your damages and calculating your potential compensation is a complicated and daunting task. An experienced car accident attorney can help you evaluate your expenses from the car crash, demonstrate liability, and get you the compensation you deserve.

5. Retain an Expert Car Accident Injury Lawyer

An experienced car accident lawyer representing you provides advantages when going through the complex legal processes to receive compensation.

After the car accident, working with insurance companies and trying to get a fair settlement for your injuries can be an uphill battle. Insurance adjusters usually try to mitigate their losses and financial responsibilities by paying out as little as possible. They might attempt to reduce the accident claim value by offering a low settlement.

Adjusters also try to downplay the severity of your injuries by disputing the medical treatment costs and future aftercare and medical costs. And they might try to convince you that you’re getting a fair deal and pressure you into accepting an unsatisfactory amount of compensation.

More likely than not, the insurance adjusters or the at-fault driver and their attorney will scrutinize the evidence to find any fault on your part for the car accident and justify the reduced insurance claim or settlement payout — or to avoid paying at all.

Lawyers for car accidents have the training to negotiate and defend their clients’ rights. They often know and can handle tactics employed by insurance companies. They can also help guide you through the settlement or litigation processes with the other driver and their counsel. Even if the other driver caused the accident and your injuries, they might dread the financial repercussions and try to avoid a fair settlement.

An experienced car accident lawyer can properly assess your claim and inform you objectively whether you received an adequate settlement that will save you time. If efforts to settle don’t lead to a successful resolution, litigation is usually the next step.

Litigation involves complicated legal procedures and a lot of paperwork. Your car accident injury lawyer can gather necessary evidence, such as police reports, accident reports, eyewitness statements, photos, videos, and expert opinions. They can also work through the paperwork to resolve the claim and expedite recovering damages from the other party.

Most importantly, lawyers for car accidents work for a contingency fee, which means you don’t have to pay any attorney’s fees unless they win your case. So you don’t have to worry about incurring extra legal expenses before you get compensated for your injuries.

In Texas, the statute of limitations for car accidents is two years, so you must contact an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible to receive the compensation you deserve.

If you or someone you know has been in a car accident and you’re not sure what to do about getting justice and compensation, get a free consultation with a top McAllen car accident lawyer at Patino Law Firm, and soon you’ll have the advice you need.

Patino Law Firm
1802 N 10th St
McAllen, TX 78501

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