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What To Do After A Car Accident

You are a safe and reliable driver. Your main concern when you get on the road is to ensure that you arrive at your destination without incident. The same cannot be said of all your fellow drivers. Some people have little or no regard for traffic rules and regulations. They do not understand the inherent dangers of sending text messages, speaking to passengers, and making wild and ill-considered lane changes. If you have been injured as a result of a collision with such a driver, you should know and pursue your legal options.

What to do After a Car Accident

If you were not seriously injured in the accident, there are certain actions should take immediately afterward. They are as follows:

1. Check yourself and passengers

A car accident is a sudden and violent event. It will leave you shaken and unsure of where you are and what has happened. If you were injured in the accident, you may not feel it straightaway. That is why you should make sure that you are not bleeding out. You should also check the status of anyone riding with you.

2. Call 911

You should call 911 immediately. They will send police, ambulance, and rescue vehicles.

3. Exchange information

If you are up to it, you should go to the other vehicle to check the state of its occupants. If everyone is alright, you should exchange contact details and insurance information with the other driver.

4. Document the accident

You should then gather as much pictorial evidence of the accident as you can. You should use your cell phone to get photos of the damage done to your car and details of the accident scene.

5. Go to the emergency room

Even if you believe your injuries were light, you should go to the emergency room to receive a full examination by a qualified emergency room physician. They may be able to detect internal injuries that you cannot see or feel.

6. Contact a lawyer

You will then need to contact your insurer as soon as possible. You should get in touch with a car accident personal injury lawyer before you make that call. You want to ensure that you fully understand your rights as policy holder making a claim.

You will also want an auto injury lawyer on hand to deal with the insurance company of the driver who hit you. If the other driver was clearly at fault for the accident, their insurance company may try to resolve the matter quickly by offering you a settlement. It is the policy of such insurance companies to make an initial settlement that is on the low side. You should not commit to the deal until your car accident personal injury lawyer has had an opportunity to review it.
If your injuries were light and the damage done to your car minor, it may be a good idea to accept the settlement offer made by the insurance company. It may be more than enough money to cover expenses and lost income.

However, if you were severely injured in the car accident, it may be necessary to demand more money.

The Financial Impact of a Traumatic Car Accident

A severe accident can upset, overturn, and decimate life as you know it. If you were in a bad accident, you may need to undergo a series of invasive operations and procedures to get you healthy again. This may be followed by the need to go through an extensive program of rehabilitation. You may also need to take prescription drugs for the foreseeable future.

A traumatic accident may seriously harm your ability to make a living. You may even need to give up your current livelihood. In the worst case, you will need to hire a homecare professional to help you get through the day. And you may even need to have a relative stay at home to supervise, which would dry up another source of much needed income.

You should not have to bear the enormous stress of such a situation on your own. The person whose negligence and inattention caused the accident should be held accountable. If their insurer does not agree to the sum of money called for by your injuries, then you should file a lawsuit.

How West Coast Trial Lawyers Can Help

West coast trial lawyers help people like you get the justice you deserve. Car injury law firms employ lawyers who know how to force insurance companies to do the right thing. Your lawyer will have the knowledge and expertise to gather the facts, introduce expert witness, and employ the law in such a way that will result in a just outcome.

Here are the actions that lawyers from leading car injury law firms will take:

1. Gather the Facts

Your auto injury lawyer will begin with the official accident report. They will then launch their own investigation into the accident. They will bring professional investigators on-board to carry this out. The investigation will include a re-assessment of the evidence and the original facts gathered by the authorities. Among the most important actions your lawyer will take is to re-interview witnesses.

There may have been people who saw what happened but do not have a good relationship with police and therefore did not speak to them. There may also be witnesses who captured before, during, and after images of the accident on their phone cameras but left the scene before they could be interviewed by police. This kind of evidence can go a long way toward confirming your version of events. If such camera footage exists, your lawyer will obtain it.

The fitness of the person who hit you to drive will also be examined. If they were too tired to get behind the wheel, your lawyer will learn of it. If they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, your lawyer will likewise discover it.

2. Introduce Forensic Evidence

The physical evidence left at the scene of an accident is its most compelling feature. Your lawyer will hire people who know how to gather together such evidence to build a computer simulation of how the accident unfolded. Such simulations are admissible in court and can be used to demonstrate who was at fault in the accident.

Your lawyer will also hire medical experts to testify about your injury. They will submit statements that explain the extent of your injuries, how they came about, and the damage they have done to your health. If the case goes to trial, these same experts will be able to testify clearly and direct—they will be able to make a jury understand complex medical concepts.

3. Employ the Law

To get the money you deserve, your lawyer, such as the lawyers at West Coast Trial Lawyers will have to put together a case which proves that the accident owed to recklessness on the part of the other driver, that it caused you serious injury, and that you are owed money because of it. Your lawyer will be able to put this kind of argument together. In doing so, they may compel the respondent to offer a higher settlement. Your auto injury lawyer will be in a good position to negotiate for a settlement that is fair and adequate.


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What To Do After A Car Accident

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About KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220

As Santa Clarita’s only local radio station, KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, along with your favorite adult contemporary hits by artists such as Rob Thomas, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Maroon 5. We are vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community. Our broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. We stream our talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience.