Many factors can threaten your legal rights after a vehicle accident. It’s important to protect your rights, especially if you weren’t at fault. Otherwise, you may not receive fair compensation for your damages. Here is what you should do to protect your rights after a vehicle accident:
Call the Police
When it comes to protecting your rights, the very first thing you should do after a car accident is to contact the police. Try to gather all information and evidence regarding the accident and how it took place.
When you report the accident to the police, they will create a report with details of what happened. This is crucial as it creates authentic evidence of the accident. This report will be needed by your motor vehicle accident lawyer when filing for your personal injury claim.
Do Not Admit Fault
When talking to the police, you should remain honest. But do not admit to fault. A lot of times, car accident victims believe that they’re at fault, even if they’re not. Hence, you mustn’t admit to a fault before talking to your attorney.
Whether you’re at fault or not is determined by the court, but if you admit beforehand, you’ll be held responsible for the accident and lose any chances of receiving a fair settlement from the insurance company.
Don’t Trust the Driver at Fault
If the driver at fault tries to convince you not to call the police, you must not comply. They might also offer to settle the situation between you two, but that is also a red flag. Drivers who are hesitant to involve the police usually don’t have insurance or are driving with an expired license.
In such cases, it’s better to protect your rights and call the police. You will also be putting yourself at risk by not calling the police because as in some areas, it’s against the law to not report an accident to law enforcement. Depending on your vehicle, arrange a lawyer immediately. If you were driving a truck, you must consult a truck accident attorney as they’ll be more experienced in dealing with truck accidents.
Take Pictures at the Scene
After the accident, it’s essential to gather all sorts of evidence to protect your rights. Use your phone camera to take pictures of the accident scene, your injuries, your vehicle, and the other party’s vehicle. Moreover, it recommended taking details of the name, contact number, and license plate of the other driver. If there are any witnesses of the accident, collect their testimonials as these will help strengthen your case later on.
Get Your Injuries Checked Out
If you didn’t require immediate medical help at the scene, make sure to see a doctor soon afterward. Talk to your doctor about any pain or discomfort you might be experiencing. Some car accident injuries take time to show symptoms, so pay extra attention to your health afterward. Other than this, your medical records, bills, and doctor’s notes can be very useful for your injury claim. So make sure to collect all of this information.