What To Do (And Not To Do) After An Accident
If you have been in an accident and you are able to take a few simple steps, you may be more likely to recover damages appropriate to your case.
- Get appropriate medical care immediately. If you have been in an accident, the chances that you were injured in some way are pretty good. Make sure that you get the appropriate medical care and attention you need right away before symptoms get worse. You need to make sure you are accurately accounting for all your injuries suffered.
- Take pictures and video. Most people have phones with cameras. If you are at the scene of the accident and have received appropriate medical care, take pictures and video. If you can keep the video rolling, that may be helpful too. Take pictures of the vehicles, the people and items around the scene, the road — whatever seems potentially relevant to you. We can always get our investigator or other professional to complete an accident reconstruction, but pictures taken at the event are extremely beneficial. You may also capture certain statements made by taking video, or things that don’t appear in the picture very well.
- Get documentation and witness information. If there is a police report, you should get the number of the report. Ask for witness contact information if you can. Request information about surveillance or video tapes that may have recorded a slip-and-fall or other incident. You may also want to make a report to management about your fall or accident at their place of business.
- Don’t give a statement to an opposing insurance company. Insurance companies are in business to make money. They do not want to pay out anymore on claims than they absolutely have to pay. Therefore, many insurance companies will seek to get statements from injured parties in order to use against them in legal proceedings.
- Don’t sign a medical release form. An insurance company may also seek to access your medical records without any restriction or limit. This is also done with the aim to find information that may harm your legal claim. It is important to speak with an attorney before any dealings with the insurance company. Your attorney advocates for you. The insurance company has no such goal.
- Speak with an attorney right away. At Boren & Boyd, PLC, we cannot overstate the importance of speaking with a lawyer as soon as possible in a personal injury case. An attorney can help you further address what to do (and not to do) after an accident. We can help you understand your legal remedies before you take any action that would be detrimental to a claim.
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Call us toll-free at 800-727-0622 or locally in our Jackson office at 731-423-3300. You can also email us online. We represent clients throughout Western Tennessee.