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Important Legal Steps You Need To Take If You Were Injured In An Accident

December 17, 2021

Taking the right steps after an accident is crucial to proper recovery and complete compensation for the damages that you have had to incur. The site of the accident can be a very stressful place to be in. It is often swarming with random people just watching the event, police, medical teams, and of course the friends and family of those that have been in an accident. As a victim of the situation, it can be very difficult to not get overwhelmed and to maintain a calm and neutral mindset. 

Ideally, you should look at the situation from the standpoint of the stakeholders that will be involved in the case later on rather than from the emotional point of view of a victim. Whether or not it was your fault is to be decided later on by the court and those that possess the power to pass any judgment on the matter. If the accident is a motor vehicle accident, an accident at work, an accident at a business facility, or wherever it may have taken place, the protocols for what you need to do remain the same. Here is some guidance to give you the best chance to get out of the situation successfully.

1.  Get Medical Attention

First and foremost is the medical care that you need. In some cases victims are lucky enough to walk away without even a scratch, however, this doesn’t mean that they don’t need to get medical help. In such cases, it is very common for internal injuries to occur, which at the time of the accident will not be apparent and it can take a couple of days or even weeks for symptoms to surface. The problem is that if you leave the injury till any symptoms become apparent, it might be too late. 

Some injuries, especially concussions and ligament problems need to be treated right away. A concussion could lead to internal bleeding in the brain which can lead to sudden death, brain hemorrhage, and a range of other problems associated with internal bleeding injuries in the skull. Similarly, tendons can start to heal in the wrong manner and this can lead to problems with limited mobility and can severely impact the usability of different parts of the body.

2.  Get A Professional

In most cases, the problem will not be that easy to solve. In some accidents, that culprit is easy to spot and even the local police or the relevant traffic authorities will give you a clear verdict and resolve the matter. In more complex cases you need professional injury lawyers who will win you compensation for the damages that you have personally incurred. Getting the vehicle repaired might cost a few thousand dollars but this is compensation for your health, for the time that you have wasted, the mental stress you have gone through, and in the case of major injuries, the way in which this event will impact the rest of your life. Injury claims can be complicated so pursuing the matter alone will not be a good choice.

3.  Contact Relevant Authorities

Among the people that you need to contact, make sure you get in touch with police and insurance. These are the two parties that will play a big part in the case overall and they are also two of the biggest stakeholders in the matter. Secondly, you also want to get the personal information of the other party that is involved in the accident and get in touch with their insurance and medical coverage providers. Similarly, the first document that you need to process is the police report from the closest police station from the site. Even if you are from out of state, you will need a local police report and you need it right after the accident. Waiting to file this report till later can be a problem.

4.  Create A Case

With an injury lawyer on board, you need to go to work on putting the case together. This can be tough considering that you are also battling personal injuries but the faster that you put this plan into action the better it is for you. Different states also have a time limit within which a case needs to be filed. Filing it after the permitted time period means that it will not be entertained and you will get nothing in compensation.

Injury claim cases can take quite a while to reach a conclusion. This is partially because there are already so many cases in the court that it can take even a few months for you to just get your first hearing. The other challenge is that since these cases are so complicated there can be a lot of hearing and it can go on for a while.

If you play your cards right there is always room for recovery but you need to act fast and know what to do.

About the author

Jamie Moses

Jamie Moses founded Artvoice in 1990

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