After a car accident you must….
- Make certain that everyone is ok. If you think any person involved might need an ambulance then call one immediately. Check on the other driver, all passengers and anyone who might have been in the zone of danger when the accident occurred.
- If possible, move the vehicles to a safe place, nearest to the accident site as possible.
- Call the police and get a police report. Sometimes the police will not write a report if the accident was on private property. If the police will not write a report then take many pictures of the vehicles and roadway…but stay out of the traffic lanes!
- Try to exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver. Try to obtain names and contact information of all witnesses.
- If you are having any discomfort or pain then see a doctor as soon as possible. Do not wait a few days or weeks to “see if it would get better on its own.” We recently had a case for an older couple who were rear-ended at a stop light. They waited a few weeks and then went to the doctor together. The defense tried to allege that they weren’t injured because they didn’t see a doctor for weeks and that they must be conspiring because they went to the same doctor on the same days. We won the case because we were able to prove that the wife, a former nurse, knew that often pain goes away in time and was trying to avoid medical expenses. Also the husband didn’t drive so it was convenient for them to go together. Regardless, their delays in getting to a doctor made getting the bills paid much more difficult…but we still won.
If you are in a car accident and want someone to help you through the process then call the Law Office of Keith Short. 618-655-9499 or 618-254-0055.