Do I Need a Lawyer After a Car Accident

Posted on November 23, 2016 | Written By: iadminlaw

An accident, regardless of fault, is usually unforeseeable and is stressful, especially if you are not at fault. To add to the stress, you have to deal with injuries, and even minor injuries could cause you to miss work or could exacerbate later and become worse than you thought they were. Even though you may not think the damage to you or your vehicle were “worth” contacting a car accident lawyer for, you should at least make contact with someone.

Steps to Take After an Accident

Call the police

The first thing you should do, regardless of how minor the accident was, is to contact the police so that you have a police report. You may need that to have the other person’s insurance company repair the damages to your vehicle.

Of course, if you have suffered extensive damages or if you are in a situation where a loved one died as a result of the accident, you should call the police. You will need the police report as part of the evidence in a lawsuit to recover damages and to determine negligence.

Call a car accident lawyer free consultation

You may be determining when to call a lawyer after a car accident. The best time is as soon as possible. Accidents have a statute of limitation, which means that once a certain amount of time has passed, you can no longer bring a lawsuit against the person who caused the accident. While it doesn’t need to be the same day, if possible it should be, so that you can get in to see a car accident lawyer while the details of the crash are still fresh in your mind.

You should most certainly contact an attorney if you suspect the other driver was negligent. Negligence could be a drunk driver or a distracted driver who was texting, talking on the phone, putting makeup on, eating or even reading while driving. A careless driver who is constantly changing lanes or pulling in front of other vehicles too closely could also be found negligent.

Take pictures

If you are able, take pictures of the accident scene. Be sure to include damage done to your vehicle and to the other vehicle. You may also want to take a picture of the other driver’s license plate. Take pictures of any marks left by your vehicle or the other vehicle that are on the roadway and any parts that might have flown off your vehicle or the other person’s vehicle.

Call an Ambulance

Get yourself checked out, even if you think your injuries are not severe. Injuries could manifest several days later.

Do not sign anything

Do not sign any documents unless it’s for the police or your insurance company. Bring the documents to a car accident attorney.

If a Loved One Died Because of an Accident

The steps are a bit different if a loved one died in an accident. You are going to be responsible for taking care of your loved one’s affairs. If you were at the scene, follow the tips outlined above. If not, you most likely won’t be able to get pictures or call the police. As soon as you find out about the accident, call the police station to request a copy of the accident report.

Once you have a copy of the accident report, contact a car accident lawyer to set up a consultation. Bring any information you have, including the police report. If you are having trouble getting a copy of the report, let your lawyer know and he or she will get a copy of the police report for you. The police report will show quite a bit of information about the accident and will help your attorney determine whether the other person involved was negligent.

If the person who caused the accident also died in the accident, you may be able to sue that person’s estate. It is pertinent that you contact an attorney as soon as possible, even when the person who caused the accident died.

Contact iAccident Lawyer

If you have been in a car accident or if a loved one died as a result of an accident, contact iAccident Lawyer at (800) 920-0810 to set up a free consultation.