What Happens After a Car Accident?
I’m Ed Smith, a Tracy car accident lawyer. Car accidents are generally caused by another person or entity’s negligence. Because of this, individuals suffer a wide range of injuries that can alter the circumstances of their lives. When this happens, they need the help of a seasoned car accident lawyer. Let’s take a look at what you should do after an accident and the types of injuries that are common to car accidents.
What You Should Do After a Car Accident
There are things that should be done when an accident happens. However, one’s ability to do them depends on whether or not the individual is seriously injured. In that case, it is important to call 911 for transportation to the hospital. When emergency transport is not needed, still make sure to see a doctor as soon as possible. Some injuries manifest symptoms after 24 to 48 hours, such as cervical strain. Bottom line: get checked out by a medical professional.
Otherwise, follow the steps provided by Esurance:
- If there is no danger to you, move your vehicle to the side of the road.
- See if anyone else is injured. This might involve leaving your vehicle. The need to check on others should be balanced against the degree of danger this poses to you. If you are on a busy highway, it might be best to call the police, and wait in your car. Put on parking lights or emergency lights to warn other drivers that you are stopped.
- Using the same logic, take pictures if possible. You can show the position of the vehicles after the accident. This is important since an accident expert will be able to tell a lot about how the accident happened from this. Take a photograph of any damage to your or other vehicles. Make sure if there are skid marks, indicating that someone hit their brakes, you get a picture of them too. Even the absence of skid marks is important because it could indicate that the driver had nodded off and did not apply the brakes at all.
- Take photos of your injuries. Make sure to keep the clothes you were wearing to show the pattern of injury.
- Obtain contact information from everyone at the accident site. This includes both other participants in the crash and witnesses. Ask other drivers for insurance and license information as well as their insurance policy number and company.
- If asked for your information, provide it, but do not talk about the accident. Sometimes in the emotion of the moment you might say something that could be used against you later on.
Common Injuries in a Car Accident
Some of the most common injuries sustained in a car accident include:
- Facial trauma: These can be minor such as bruises or surface lacerations. However, due to the momentum within the vehicle during an accident, a person may suffer deeper lacerations that could scar without treatment by a plastic surgeon. Fracture to the facial bones and nose and dental damage may also occur, and in some cases, require treatment that could include surgery.
- Injury to the spinal cord: During an accident, bones of the spinal column can impinge on or tear through the spinal cord. Depending on the extent of an injury, the individual may experience some loss of sensation or movement. When an injury to the spinal cord is severe, paralysis may result. This may require surgical intervention and long periods of rehabilitation. Studies have shown that the final cost of severe spinal cord injury can reach $1 million. The long-term cost can average between $50,000 and over $100,000 per year, depending on the extent of injury.
- Back Injuries: Injury to the back can occur at the cervical (neck), thoracic (midback) or lumbosacral (low back) levels. It can be caused by cervical strain, herniated discs, tendon tears or fractures of the vertebrae.
- Brain Injuries: These injuries vary. An individual in a car accident can experience a concussion, skull fracture or bleeding on the brain (subdural hematoma). Some injuries may require rest to receive relief, such as a concussion. Others, such as when there is pressure on the brain caused by pooling of blood, may require surgery to relieve it.
Tracy Car Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Tracy car accident lawyer. Accidents involving motor vehicles can cause serious harm to those involved. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please call me at (209) 227-1931 for free, friendly advice. You may also contact me toll-free at (800) 404-5400.
I’ve been practicing personal injury law for more than 35 years. Since then, I’ve helped people in Tracy and Northern California with personal injuries and wrongful deaths get the compensation they deserve.
My client feedback is listed on:
I belong to the forum at milliondollaradvocates.com.
If you are curious on how I resolved prior cases, please visit my Past Verdicts and Settlements page.
Photo Attribution: By “Torsten Dettlaff” via Pexels
:cd ds [cs 848] cv