Have you ever met an accident?
Were you or someone else injured?
Did you lose your valuables?
How did you deal with it?
Whenever we go through an accident, the trauma stays with us for a long while. We are unable to comprehend what just happened and how to deal with the situation.
In this regard, The Law Centre has set up a program that helps Florida Car Accident victims by connecting them with attorneys who can help the victims with claims and compensation.
In this article, I have mentioned the 5 Things to do if you had an accident in Florida.
Things to Do After Car Accident
1. Safety
The first thing you need to do after the accident is to check if anyone is injured. If yes, then help that person if you can. Also, call 911 and inform them about the nature of the injury.
Do save yourself from secondary accidents, move your car to a safer place, or if it cannot be moved then get out of the car and go to a safe place. If there is any other person who cannot be moved out of the car then signal the oncoming traffic to avoid another accident.
2. Do Not Admit Fault
Never say anything that makes you look guilty or responsible for the accident. This is because; if you say something like that then insurance companies and defense lawyers use this statement against you in order not to compensate you. Under the law of Florida, if you are 30% responsible for the accident then you will only be compensated 70%.
3. Call Police and Seek Medical Attention
It is very important to call for help both Police and Medical Staff on the scene of the accident. As per Florida law, you have a legal obligation to report accidents to the police to help them investigate the accident and write up an accident report.
Also, it is necessary to call medical staff because sometimes we are in a state of shock so we don’t know where we got hurt, so a proper medical examination is required by the trained medical staff. The medical record will be useful when you will raise a claim for damages.
4. Call a Lawyer
Even if you are not much injured but your vehicle is too much damaged, it is necessary to call your lawyer or connect to Florida Car Accident Legal Team to get justice and proper compensation through car accident attorneys.
There are 3 types of specialized lawyers who can help you in the best manner:
- Car Accident Injury Lawyer
This lawyer will help you get compensated for the injuries, pain and suffering, medical expenses, or in some cases lost wages.
- Car Accident Property Damage Lawyer
You need to contact such a lawyer if your vehicle is damaged or any valuable personal item was damaged in the car accident. These lawyers will get you reimbursed for the repair of damage or replacement of the vehicle.
- Car Accident Wrongful Death Lawyer
Sometimes car accidents lead to fatalities and the grieving families can talk to such lawyers to get compensated for funeral arrangements, mourning support, to get some sort of support in terms of the lost person’s income (in case s/he was the bread earner).
In order to present your case to the lawyer, you need to collect information from the crash site and provide evidence related to how the accident happened, whose fault it was, damages incurred, and what amount of compensation the victims are looking forward to.
Accident Report
An accident report is an important tool prepared by the police to have a preliminary assessment about who was at fault that caused this accident. This report includes the time of the accident, location, and the crash site situation.
Also, it is important that you share your name, address, vehicle registration number with the police on-scene. You may also ask to show your driver’s license or permit.
Another important aspect of reporting a car accident is the Witnesses. Sometimes, witnesses tell you whose fault is it because they saw the whole situation before the accident actually happened. They may have recorded something on their mobile phones that can be of help.
Even if they don’t have visual proof, you can check the security cameras installed on the road or on nearby buildings to assess the crash scene.
Also, it is important that you take photos or videos of the crash site, your vehicle, road conditions (i.e. rain or snowfall), etc. This will be a great proof for asking for compensation in the court of law.
5. Filing a Lawsuit and Dealing with Insurance
Florida Auto Insurance covers some physical damages of vehicle and also part of your medical and disability-related expenses. In some cases, you get some compensation from other driver’s insurance company but that takes a lot of effort from a car accident lawyer.
Also to get a claim for ‘personal injury protection’, you need to inform your auto insurance that you have been in an accident and got injured.
The victim should never contact other driver’s insurance company directly but should go through a skilled car accident lawyer else they negotiate compensation that is very minimal. Also, you focus on healing from injuries and mental trauma and let the car accident attorney do all the dealings for your compensation and claims on your behalf.
So, if you are in a car accident you know what 5 things you need to do in order to get compensated for your injuries and property damage. You just need to calm yourself, and contact Florida Car Accident authority through filling out the form at their website, or call at 561-678-4584 to let them help you in this critical situation.