In the moments directly after a car accident, it can be difficult to focus. You’ve just been through one of the most traumatic, scary experiences that can happen to a person – so it’s completely understandable. You could be seriously injured. There are so many factors to take it in that it can so hard to focus on any one thing. That’s why we write articles where we mention what to do after an accident – so that, should this ever happen to you, you can hopefully remember some of it. In this blog, a car accident lawyer in LA will go through the process. We’ll also touch on how we can help you.
The first thing you should do is make sure that you’re OK. If you’re too hurt and unable to move, don’t. Instead, stay where you are. However, if you can move around, check to see if you’re in a safe location. For example, if the car is still in the middle of the road (where other vehicles could potentially hit it) move the vehicle (if possible) or just yourself to a safe location. Call 911. If you have road flares, put them down. Again, if you can’t do this, it’s recommended that you stay in one place.
It’s critically important you get medical attention for any injuries you might have. Getting checked out by medical professionals after any kind of accident is so important. Nothing is more important than your health. You also need to get checked out even if you don’t think you suffered an injury. We cannot stress this enough. Making sure that medical professionals perform a thorough examination is so important even if you seem perfectly fine after an accident.
One of the major reasons is that many of the worse symptoms of an accident don’t manifest right away. In fact, they might not appear for some time. You could have been in a car accident, feel fine, then return to your life immediately. It could be days, weeks, months or even longer until the full extent of your injuries are known. By having a medical professional look you over, you could possibly be treated for these accidents well ahead of time. That could cut down on the possibility that these injuries will be that debilitating.
Another important reason to get yourself checked out by medical professionals is that it could make your personal injury case that much more compelling. If you don’t go to a medical professional, and then your injuries do end up keeping you out of work, the other side can use that against you. “If their injuries were so awful, wouldn’t they have gone to the doctors? Wouldn’t they have wanted someone to check them out?” Even if you had perfectly understandable reasons for not going to the doctor, you’d be giving the other side a very strong argument. The reasons for getting medical attention are varied.
When you hire the LA Injury Group to take your case, we perform a thorough investigation. We have a trusted team of investigative professionals with years of experience. They can find out exactly what happened in your accident, and then we can use that to make your case that much stronger. They’ll discover the whole truth of what happened. This is important, because the other side will have their investigators working, too.
They may not be looking for the whole truth. In fact, they’ll probably be looking for what could make the best case for the insurance company or others. With our investigators on your side, all of the evidence will be discovered and weighed. On top of professional investigators, we can bring in evidentiary experts like an accident reconstructonist to help your case even further.
One thing you also will want to do is record your own evidence. This doesn’t mean that you have to go out to the accident site and play “Pretend C.S.I.” or anything, but we do recommend that you take pictures of your injuries. If you feel that a bruise, cut or anything else came about as a result of the injury, take a picture of it. Should you feel a strain or some other kind of pain in your body from injuries that were caused by the accident, make a note of it.
This can only make your case that much stronger. Testimony about your injuries is one thing. It’s powerful, and it can show just how bad your car accident was. Pictures of your injuries, however, can be even more powerful. The other side can do everything they want to impugn your testimony or question your character; it’s almost impossible to argue with a photograph. Pictures of your injuries (as well as journals of your struggles) can show just how difficult your injury has been.
Indeed, it is recommended that you keep taking pictures of your injuries even once they’ve started to heal. You don’t have to stop taking pictures just because your injuries begin getting better. To be clear, this can show just how bad your injuries were, just as much as pictures taken in the immediate aftermath of the accident could. To use an example, if you suffered a terrible bruise on your hip during the accident, if it still looked dark and awful months later, that would definitely show just how bad the accident was.
You may also want to keep track of everything that you’ve had to spend on your injuries, too. Bills, receipts, times that you had doctor’s visits – you want to keep track of anything and everything that you spent on your injury. We can work to get you compensation for each of these. Most people know to keep track of things like the visits they took to go see their doctor or repairs you had to make to your vehicle. However, on top of that, you’re also going to want to make note of any rehab or physical therapy you’ve gone through, gas bills you paid to go to and from the hospital, parking, all that kind of thing.
We know that some of this might not be easy to do. After all, you’ve just been through a car accident – odds are you aren’t feeling your best. You may be struggling to adapt to a new, more challenging lifestyle. At the very least, you’re probably recovering, trying to get back to your best so that you can step back into your work and regular life. It’s perfectly understandable if some of the tasks we’ve laid out above are a bit difficult.
Asking friends or family to do the above can absolutely help out. They often want to help out, to contribute to your recovery however they can. Indeed, this is all the more reason that you want to hire a car accident attorney to take your case. The other side will have the best, most experienced attorneys. You’ll be recovering from an accident. In terms of a fair legal fight, that really isn’t one. Add in that the other side has nigh-unlimited resources, and it can make getting the compensation you deserve essentially impossible.
When you bring in the LA Injury Group, however, we have the resources necessary to take on the insurance company. We can go toe to toe with them, resource for resource, so that you can get compensation for your injuries. On top of that, we know how the insurance companies work. We’ve seen their tactics for many years. Our track record of success speaks for itself. We’ve beaten the insurance companies at their game time and time again. You can schedule a free consultation with us at (818) 240-1800. There, we’ll sit down with you and figure out how we can help.