You are driving home from work when someone else runs a red light and hits your car. It’s completely unexpected and there’s nothing you can do to avoid the impact. You know that you haven’t made any mistakes and that you had the right of way, so it is clearly the other driver’s fault due to their negligence.
At the same time, this is the first time you’ve been involved in such a serious crash. What should you do? Below are a few steps you’ll want to take before connecting with an attorney to explore your legal options.
Check for injuries
Start by checking to see if you have been injured or if anyone in the car has suffered serious injuries. Don’t worry about anything else, such as moving your car out of the intersection or even talking to the other driver. Medical care has to come first, so you need to determine how badly anyone has been hurt.
Contact the authorities
Next, unless someone else at the scene has already done so, you may need to call 911 for an ambulance or at least call the police to have them come to the scene. It’s very important to report all car accidents so that you can get a copy of the police report. This is useful because it can help to demonstrate that the other driver was the one at fault if you do end up seeking compensation from them.
Begin taking pictures
Finally, start to document the scene by taking photographs and video of the accident scene. Take pictures of damage, injuries and the entire scene to show how the accident occurred. At this time, you may also want to talk to the other driver and get their insurance information. In some cases, it is wise to move your car out of the road, if possible, but this is not always possible and you certainly do not want to leave the scene of the crash.
After all of this, you may begin looking into your options so that you can seek compensation for medical bills and other costs. Be sure you know exactly what steps to take to get the compensation you deserve so that you don’t lose out on any compensation that is rightfully yours.