When Do You Need an Attorney After a Traffic Collision?

Being the victim of a car collision can be frightening and confusing.  Often, the timing right before a collision can feel slowed down, but immediately after, time speeds up, barely leaving you time to think.  What documents do I need?  Should I take pictures?  Whose insurance do I contact?  These are just a few questions that may be traveling through your mind.  Contacting a car collision attorney as soon as possible is the best first step after a collision, and here’s why.

Seek professional legal representation

Regardless of the collision, if it was a minor fender bender or a major crash, contacting a car collision attorney immediately can save you time and energy.  Especially if you were injured in the collision, contacting a car collision attorney can help you handle the case and spend time resting, instead of managing insurance companies and other parties.

If it is not possible to contact your car collision attorney right away, here are some steps to take right after a collision to help protect you and your case:

Take Pictures

Make sure to document the scene as much as possible, including street signs, injuries, cars, and road layout. Injuries may take 1-2 days to appear, so make sure to document those should they appear later.  

Be Careful of Social Media

Insurance companies pay private investigators big salaries to search through opposing party’s social media sites looking for evidence.  You don’t have to disappear from social media, but be mindful of what you post.

Seek Medical Attention Immediately

Although injuries sometimes take several days to appear, it is important to go to the ER, rapid care or your primary care doctor right after the collision.  This ensures that doctors find any major medical problem right away and your injuries are well documented proceeding the collision.

Reach out to us as soon as possible

Once you are able to contact your car collision attorney, they will quickly handle how and where to get immediate or additional medical care, contacting the at-fault party’s insurance company, contacting your insurance company, and notifying your employer if you are unable to work.  You may even be able to receive lost wages due to your injury as part of the settlement.

Other damages you may receive include reimbursement for property damage, medical bills, and rehabilitation.  Although a settlement does not take away the pain and suffering you experienced as a result of the accident, it can help towards making you whole again.  If you need physical therapy, speech therapy, or job retraining, your car collision attorney will work hard to make sure these items are covered.  Many victims do not realize they are entitled to these types of settlements.

Car collision attorneys should be at your side from the moment the collision occurs to the moment you receive what you deserve as a result of the other party’s gross negligence.  After an accident, you should be healing, not dealing with onerous insurance companies. Following these steps assures you receive a settlement that helps you pay your medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and any property damages.

Call us today to reach Knight & Cerritelli.

NOTE: This is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.