At some point in your life, you will likely be in an auto accident. Even if you escape without injury, there are certain things you should (and shouldn’t) do. If you decide to take your car accident case to court, you will benefit greatly from talking with a Personal Injury Lawyer in Chandler.
Stay at the Accident Scene
If you are in a car accident with injuries or significant property damage, stay at the accident scene until the authorities give you permission to leave. If you aren’t sure whether the damage is significant, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Where the law requires that you wait for authorities, leaving an accident scene can result in the loss of your driver’s license and criminal charges.
Protect The Injured
If someone is hurt and you know how to administer first aid, try your best to help. Under no circumstances should you move someone who is injured. Ask someone to call the authorities to report the auto accident, and ask them to report that there are injured persons on the scene.
Get the Necessary Information
In an auto accident, you should get the following information concerning:
The other motorist(s): Names, addresses, license numbers, insurance info and license tag number.
Accident witnesses: Addresses, names and contact information
Police: Ask the investigating officer to give you a card with their name, contact information and incident number; this information will allow you to get a copy of the accident report. Most officers give you this information without asking.
Accident location: You might want to take notes of the accident’s location, road conditions, speed limit, traffic controls, lighting and weather conditions.
The accident itself: You may want to take notes on how the accident happened. Include information on the travel direction of all vehicles involved, and what each car was doing when the accident happened.
Do Not Admit Accident Fault
Even in cases where you may think you’re at fault, do not admit any liability, and hire an Accident Attorney in Chandler if you need help. There may be unknown factors which played a part, and perhaps the other motorist was more at-fault than you were. Don’t make statements to anyone except for police. When talking to the police, tell them just the facts, and allow them to draw their own conclusions.
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