Getting Help After An Automobile Accident

Car accidents occur worldwide every minute of every single day. Whether someone hits your car, or you hit someone else, there is always risk of long-term negative outcomes, such as injury and lawsuit. Contacting a car accident lawyer in Nassau is one of many essential steps you should take to help put your life back on track after an accident.

Seek Calm and Focus

Immediately post-accident, shock often sets in. You may also feel fear, panic, confusion or even guilt. Sit for a minute without moving, and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to focus on an object close at-hand, and then at a distance.

Assess the Situation – Injuries

Check yourself and your passengers, if applicable, for visible injuries, as well as feelings of discomfort that can indicate internal injuries. If no one appears injured, press your hazard lights button, exit your car and check if anyone in the other vehicle is injured. If anyone appears to have sustained injury, try to perform basic emergency medical care, if possible, and call your local emergency services number with detailed information about the accident.

Assess the Situation – Vehicles

If the vehicles are still in traffic and capable of being driven, no one appears injured, and your state law permits, try to move them from the road to prevent additional accidents. If you have emergency flares, follow your state laws for placing them at a specific distance from the accident. If you don’t know whether you can move the vehicles, or the vehicles are too badly damaged, call the police for assistance.

Gather Information

Although details about an accident are important for insurance claims, they are also crucial because of potential for lawsuits. Any evidence you acquire can help your car accident lawyer make your case and win in court.

Exchange insurance and contact details with the other party in a polite manner without accepting fault – even if you believe you were to blame.

If you feel threatened by the other party, they refuse to exchange details or they drive away (“hit-and-run”), call the police immediately, and provide details about the accident and your concerns.

If you don’t need the police at the scene of the accident, record everything that happened from your perspective and the perspective of your passengers, if applicable, on paper or via your cell phone camera and video or photos. Additionally, make note of local landmarks and buildings, and the names and contact details of witnesses.

Report the Incident

File a vehicle incident report with the police directly afterward, if they weren’t at the scene, and contact your car insurance agent.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer

A car accident lawyer in Nassau has the education and experience needed to protect your rights under the law. An initial consultation with a lawyer can help you better understand what could potentially happen in the future. If you’ve been injured, or the other party has sued, an attorney can take on the burden of navigating choppy legal waters so that you can focus more on personal injury recovery and your life.

The Law Offices of Mark E. Weinberger are the leading Nassau car accident lawyers, and has helped accident victims for over 29 years. For a free consultation, call today at 516-441-0282.