How to Start Building a Record of Your Car Accident
Inevitably, most people encounter more than one or two car accidents in their lifetimes. Car accidents often do have a person at fault, however. If you are a victim of another driver’s negligence, building a record of your car accident is a smart idea to make insurance claims in the future. Here are three things to remember as you put a record of the accident together!
File a Police Report
Filing a police report is the first step and quite essential to legally recording what has happened. It is legally required for accidents that involve injury or high property damages. But since some injuries aren’t noticed till later and damages can be hard to estimate, according to Germania Insurance, it is smart to always call 911 anyway and file a report just in case.
When filing, a police officer will ask standard questions about what happened to cause the accident, as well as basic information such as your name, number, address, and proof of insurance. This is an essential part of building a record of your car accident.
Go the Hospital
After the initial police report, your next plan of action is to get any injuries assessed. According to Rogers Beltran, the extent of your injuries is a crucial part of making the case against a plaintiff. Oftentimes delaying treatment can cast doubt on whether your injuries are from this particular accident or not. Immediately having a doctor assess injuries such as whiplash will help you to get help as soon as possible, as well as add credit to a claim that you have expenses from injuries and deserve to be compensated for them.
Preserve Evidence
If you are not at fault for this accident, gathering and preserving all the evidence you can on this point will cement your record of the accident. Getting a copy of the police report that you previously filed as well as the medical visits and costs is a great first step, but certainly not the end of available evidence. According to FindLaw, at the scene of the crash, take photographs of the collision and resulting damages, and even any tire tracks visible on the road. Also getting statements from any witnesses around recorded can help further support your lack of blame.
Recovering from a car accident is hard on its own, but not getting an insurance claim approved for such damages can make things even worse. After such a misfortune, the victim deserves to be compensated for the costs of injuries and property. Make sure your record of the car accident is solid and well-built!
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