For anyone who commutes more than twenty minutes by car, you’ll know that car accidents are a daily thing. You pass them on the way to work, you check for them online before you set off home so as to ensure you don’t get caught in traffic, and you pass fresh bumps and scrapes by the side of the road on the way home as if life wouldn’t be normal without them. Whether the cause is tiredness or incompetence, they keep coming, thick and fast, every day. All we can hope is that any damage and injuries are superficial for all involved.
But what about when bad luck comes knocking at our car door (or bumper)? What about when we are crashed into? What then? We’ll cover this more in a moment, but after checking for injuries and calling the emergency services, speaking to a lawyer should be top of your list. For example, check out car accident lawyers from Fort Lauderdale.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the car crash checklist, because you never know when your luck might run out and you are dinked off the road by someone determined to ruin your day.
Don’t say sorry
If you have never been in a car crash, you may not appreciate the heightened state of emotion that comes with immediately being the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons. Normal everyday people aren’t put under the spotlight in this way very often. Feelings of embarrassment and shame and panic can run high. This can mean that the last thing you want is a confrontation with the other driver, and you may wish to smooth things a bit by apologising in some way even though the accident wasn’t your fault.
This is a bad move, legally speaking, as anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. Always keep conversation to a minimum – exchange contact information and then make your excuses and get back on the phone to your lawyer. At this stage, instruct the other driver that all contact must now go through your legal representative.
Take pictures
Compensation claims are based on evidence. Where there is no ‘smoking gun’, blame and negligence can be hard to pin on the other driver. A photo of the other driver’s car at the scene, smashed up into the back of your car, for example, is pretty clear evidence that the other driver did not leave a sufficient stopping distance.
Witnesses are another solid form of evidence – finding witnesses willing to make a statement can be difficult, but where they are forthcoming, take their contact details and thank them. From here, your lawyer will be able to take over.
