No one expects to be involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. A car accident is by definition an unexpected event, which means you may not be prepared when it occurs. A serious Los Angeles car accident can be a stressful and upsetting experience, which can make it very difficult to think clearly about all of the steps you should take in the aftermath of your Los Angeles car accident. At the Galstyan Law Firm Legal Network, we have seen many clients who either made critical errors or failed to take critical steps following a Southern California collision significantly compromising their car accident claim. We believe it is important to prepare ahead of time for the possibility that you may be involved in a Southern California car accident so that when that time comes you take the appropriate steps to preserve your right to compensation for your injuries. An effective approach to preparing for the possibility of a serious car accident in Los Angeles is to carry a checklist in the glove compartment of your vehicle that you can refer to when you are overcome by the stress and anxiety of being involved in a car accident.
If you are involved in a car accident and suffer any injuries, you should take the following steps to preserve your car accident claim:
Obtain Medical Attention:
While it might seem obvious that obtaining medical treatment is an important priority if you are injured in car accident, many people who experience only minor symptoms declined to seek medical care or refuse an ambulance ride to the hospital. The sooner you obtain medical care the better your prognosis. There are many types of injuries that are not immediately apparent, and delay in obtaining treatment can result in more serious long-term medical problems. Additionally, insurance companies often argue that injury victims are malingerers who are fabricating or exaggerate their injuries. A full diagnostic evaluation immediately following your car accident will help you address these claims. Another common defense used by insurance companies is that your injuries resulted from a subsequent event. A full medical evaluation will include critical diagnostic evidence, such as MRIs, x-rays and CT scans, which may be used to counter a claim that your injuries were caused by a subsequent traumatic event.
Summon Law Enforcement:
If anyone suffers even the most minor injuries in a car accident, you must immediately summon law enforcement to the scene of your Los Angeles car accident. It is a good idea to obtain the name of the police officer and the accident report number. If there are specific reasons that you believe the other driver was at fault, you should communicate those facts with the police officer. For example, the other driver may have run a red light, or you may have noticed the odor of alcohol coming from the other driver. Any fact of this nature should be reported to the officer who is investigating the accident. One thing you should never do is make a statement indicating that you are at fault. Even innocuous statements like “I’m so sorry this happened” can come back to bite you later when the insurance company tries to claim that this was an admission of fault.
Conduct a Thorough Investigation:
If you are able to gather and preserve evidence at the scene of your accident, you will typically have a stronger car accident claim. You must exchange insurance and contact information with the other driver, but this is only the start of the information you should gather. You should also get the names and contact information for any passengers in the other vehicle, as well as any witnesses who may have observed your Southern California car accident. You should also take pictures of any injuries, any damage to the vehicles, and the surrounding area. Any debris from your vehicle that was damaged in the accident should also be preserved. It is important that the vehicle not be repaired until it is examined by an insurance adjuster and an investigator for your attorney. Our Los Angeles car accident attorneys frequently use accident reconstruction experts to analyze accidents and explain how they occurred. If your vehicle is repaired prior to such an inspection, it may impair the ability of an accident reconstruction expert to analyze your crash.
Retain an Experienced Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer:
Sometimes in the aftermath of a car accident in Southern California, you will receive a very quick phone call from an insurance adjuster offering to settle your claim for relatively meager amount. This is a common defense strategy designed to get you to agree to settle your case before you had an opportunity to get legal advice and obtain full diagnostic analysis and treatment of your injuries. It is never a good idea to discuss your case with the insurance adjuster or to sign anything until you’ve obtained legal advice from an experienced Southern California car accident lawyer. The job of an insurance adjuster is to find ways to deny your claim or to minimize the amount of the claim. One of the most common ways this is accomplished is by finding different theories to shift blame to you for causing the car accident. Insurance adjusters handle thousands of cases so they are skilled in the ability to get ordinary folks to say things that will damage the value of their car accident claim. You should retain a car accident attorney as soon as possible so that your attorney can discuss your case with insurance adjuster for the other driver.
While it will never be the case that you are truly prepared for a car accident in Los Angeles, you can make things much easier if you are forced to deal with the stress and pain that may accompany a Southern California collision by keeping this list in your car. It is easy to believe that you will not personally be involved in a car crash, but statistically every licensed driver will be in a serious car crash at some point in their lifetime. If you or someone you love is injured in a serious car accident in Los Angeles or anywhere throughout Southern California our experienced Los Angeles car accident lawyers offer a free consultation so that we can analyze your case and explain your rights and legal options.