If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, you may be uncertain what steps to take to best protect your rights. Simply being in an accident can cause stress, anxiety or panic, causing you to lose focus on what you need to do to safeguard your interests. This article provides a resource to help you ensure that you have followed the procedures necessary to help you get full and fair compensation for your injuries.
Step One: Assess the extent of any injuries to you or your passengers. Determine if everyone in your car is conscious and able to move under their own power. If someone is unconscious, leave them where they are until medical assistance arrives. If anyone has an injury that has rendered them unconscious or unable to move, call 911 immediately.
Step Two: Move your vehicle out of the way of traffic, if possible. Leaving your vehicle in traffic can expose you to the risk of further injury. Your safety is paramount—the accident can be reconstructed later. If you cannot move your vehicle, turn on emergency lights, set up road flares and take action to warn oncoming vehicles.
Step Three: Contact the police and file a report. Call 911 to report the accident. Wait until the police officers arrive and provide them with an accurate account of what happened. Before they leave, obtain their names, badge numbers and the jurisdiction in which they work.
Step Four: Gather information from other drivers. Ask any other drivers involved in the accident to provide you with the following information
• name
• address
• telephone number
• auto insurance provider
• auto insurance policy number
Also note the following information:
• the date and time of the accident
• the make, model, year and color of the other vehicle
• the license plate number for any other vehicle involved
Step Five: Take Pictures of the Accident Scene. If you have a camera on your phone, use it to take pictures of all vehicles involved in the accident. Also take pictures of the scene of the accident, making certain to include traffic signs or signals, skid marks and any property damage.
Step 6: Keep a Tight Lip. Often, in the aftermath of an accident, you can have a lot of nervous energy and find yourself wanting to tell your story to anyone who will listen. Don’t do that. Answer the questions asked by police officers clearly and succinctly, but don’t volunteer any information. Anything you say may be brought into evidence and could be damaging to your case.
Step 7: Get the Medical Care You Need. When you leave the scene of the accident, you may want to go immediately to the hospital or to a clinic to have your injuries evaluated. If your injuries don’t appear to be serious, you may want to schedule an appointment with your doctor. You should do so immediately, so that you have documented evidence of all injuries.
Step 8: Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney. Even before you talk with your insurance company, you should contact a lawyer, if at all possible. Insurance companies have a vested interest in paying as little as possible to settle your claim. An attorney will work directly with insurers to help you get all the benefits you paid for and deserve.
Step 9: Contact Your Insurance Provider. Notify your automobile insurance provider of the accident.
Bronx Car Accident Attorneys
The experienced personal injury attorneys at Sackstein Sackstein & Lee, LLP with offices in Flushing, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, New York City, Garden City & Nassau County NY, have been assisting car accident victims and their families with injury claims since 1952.
We have 58 years of handling compensation claims on behalf of car, truck and motorcycle accident victims, so you can feel confident in the advice and information you receive from us.
Our success stems from combining quality representation with exceptional personal service. For additional information about our firm and the quality of our service, please visit our How You Benefit from Retaining Our Services page.
Call us toll free at 888.519.6400 for a free consultation to discuss your auto accident claim with an experienced New York personal injury attorney.
For information about car, truck and motorcycle accident claims in New York, or to discuss your auto accident claim with an experienced personal injury lawyer, please schedule a free consultation by calling us toll free at 888.519.6400, in Garden City at 516.248.2234, in Flushing-Queens at 718.539.3100, or if you prefer, fill out our intake form and we will contact you. Let our family fight to get your family the compensation you deserve.
With offices throughout New York City and the Long Island area the personal injury attorneys at Sackstein Sackstein & Lee, LLP, assist accident victims throughout New York, including the cities of Manhattan (NYC), Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Flushing, Bayside, College Point, Jamaica, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona, Long Island City, Elmont, Forest Hills, Ozone Park, Springfield Gardens, Rosedale, Laurelton, Hollis, Ridgewood, Nassau, Hempstead, Elmont, Mineola, Freeport, Garden City, Uniondale, Westbury, Roosevelt, East Meadow, Levittown, Franklyn Square, New Hyde Park, Williston Park, Valley Stream, as well as the communities in and around Nassau County and Suffolk County.
