When you’ve just been in a car accident, you may be shaken up and worried about what you need to do next. You may have injuries and damages, too. Take a deep breath and follow these steps for what to do after a car accident.
If you need legal help or advice, a trusted West Palm Beach car accident attorney at Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath can help. Give us a call at 561-655-1990 to get a free consultation or chat with us online.
What To Do After a Car Accident in Florida
After a car accident, you need to call the police, gather evidence, get any injuries assessed, and more. We are here to help you throughout the process.
Call 911
The first step that you or the other driver should take is to call 911 and wait until the police arrive to begin settling the scene. The police report is important for validating the accident and getting compensation for the damages that occurred. Unless the police come to the scene and fill out a report, it’s like the accident didn’t happen.
Police will come to the scene as quickly as possible to discuss the details of the accident with all the people involved, plus any witnesses.
Exchange Insurance Policy Details & Other Information
You and the other driver will exchange identification details and insurance information, including your driver’s license number, name, address, license plate number, and insurance policy details.
Doing this allows you to seamlessly notify your insurance of the accident and provides the information that they need to communicate with the other driver’s insurance provider to settle claims.
Collect Any Helpful Evidence
No matter if your case ends up settling inside or outside of court, you’ll want to collect evidence throughout the entire process to hold the other party liable for the damages that they caused. You need to be able to prove fault if a lawsuit is necessary.
Evidence can be collected as soon as the accident happens. You may take pictures or videos, or you can write down notes on your smartphone that describe various parts of the scene or the accident. Other types of evidence that can be used to prove the fault of the other party for your damages include medical documentation, a doctor’s testimony, medical bills, pay stubs to calculate lost wages, and more.
The type of evidence you will need depends on your damages and claim. We can help you learn what damages you can claim after your car accident and what type of evidence is needed to prove negligence or fault.
Get Injuries Assessed
Major injuries can happen in car accidents, causing long-term suffering and pain, and they can even turn into more serious medical conditions. Injuries can cause victims to miss work and income, and they can even cause a person to not be able to return to work permanently due to disability.
After you’ve been injured in a car accident, get medical attention. Injuries can worsen or go undetected at first. Get your condition assessed early on to provide evidence of a potential condition, side effect, or injury that develops.
For emergency medical needs, police should be informed immediately at the scene and can coordinate an ambulance to the nearby hospital.
Report the Accident to Your Insurance Provider
After the police have cleared the scene and any immediate medical attention is coordinated, report the accident to your insurance provider. You will only need to provide the basic details of the accident, and you will wait for the police report to be finalized before moving forward in the claims process.
Get a Copy of the Police Report
As soon as you can, you should get a copy of the police report for your records. This may be needed for negotiations with your insurance provider. If you have trouble getting adequate compensation for your losses and damages outside of court, a police report is a critical piece of evidence. It is important to provide it to your car accident lawyer if you are considering filing a legal claim to get the compensation you are entitled to receive.
Meet With a Car Accident Lawyer
After a severe car accident, you may want to contact a car accident lawyer right away to help with investigations and guide you throughout the claims process. A car accident lawyer can help with insurance negotiations, proving the fault of the other driver, and filing a lawsuit when needed.
Fault may be unclear in the accident that you were involved in, or you may not be getting the compensation you deserve. In either case, Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath is here to help. We have a winning history of getting our clients the maximum compensation they deserve, and we can help you pursue legal action when needed. We can guide you through the process and answer any questions you have at any time.
Schedule a Free Consultation With a Trusted Florida Car Accident Lawyer
If you don’t know what to do after a car accident, help is here. A Boca Raton car accident attorney at Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath would love to meet with you to discuss your case. We can help you plan your best path forward, and you don’t pay until we win.
Chat with us online, send us a message or call 561-655-1990 to get in touch with our top-rated team today!
