If you or other drivers are at the scene of a car accident before the police arrive, you call the police, exchange information, try to gather evidence, and seek medical assistance.
- What Should I Do at an Accident Scene After a Car Crash?
- Consequences of Failure at the Scene of an Accident for the Injured Person
- How Can a Lawyer Help After an Accident?
- What Can You Obtain in Court or Settlement?
- How Long Do You Have to Bring an Accident Claim?
- Cases brought against Negligent Drivers or Their Insurance Company
- Speak to an Attorney If You Are Involved in a Motor Vehicle Collision
- Further Reading and Resources
Talk to our car accident lawyers after your car crash or auto accident to discuss your personal injuries, how to handle an accident scene, how to not admit fault, and a personal injury claim.
Our personal injury attorneys can give you a free consultation about a personal injury case after your car accident for medical treatment, injuries, vehicle damage, property damage, etc.
What Should I Do at an Accident Scene After a Car Crash?
Lots of people ask us “What should I do at the scene of a car accident?” It can be chaotic at the scene of a car crash. The other driver may not be cooperating.
You should take reasonable effort at the scene of a car accident scene to accomplish the following, and a passionate lawyer can assist on many of these:
- Put on your hazard lights to warn other drivers
- Seek medical assistance
- Call the police and report the accident
- Scan for any injuries to you or your injured passengers
- Check for vehicle destruction
- Do not admit fault
- Get their insurance info, car or vehicle info, and other relevant info
- Protect the scene
- Get their driver’s license number
- File an accident report
- Figure all the other vehicles involved in the crash
- talk to the investigating officer or other police officers
- Render aid if possible at the scene of the accident
Car accidents are very stressful and a passionate lawyer can help after an accident occurs to make sure you get everything you need from the other driver.
Wondering what I should do at the scene of a car accident? Then call our firm to speak with a car accident lawyer and get a free consultation about a car accident case or insurance claim.
We have brought many against other drivers in an attorney client relationship for personal injuries, medical bills, property damage, tow truck costs, and more. Plus, an auto accident or car accident lawyer can coach you on what to do at the scene of a car accident before the police arrive.
Consequences of Failure at the Scene of an Accident for the Injured Person
Any person or driver injured at the scene of an auto collision will need you to accomplish certain things so that they can recover in court or through insurance coverage later. Failure to do so after a car accident will destroy that possibility.
You need to get evidence, memorialize your injuries, report the accident or crash right from the scene of the accident, talk to witnesses, gather vehicle and insurance coverage info and more. This is just a brief review. We wrote extensively on this topic in the previous section.
Failure to follow those guidelines will mean you will not be able to prove the points you need to in the legal system or insurance process. Then, your car accident injuries will go unresolved.
In a free case evaluation, we can instruct you on what to do after car accidents with respect to the other driver or insurance company. Then you won’t have to wonder, “What should i do at the scene of a car accident?”
How Can a Lawyer Help After an Accident?
If you were not the person at fault in a car or vehicle collision, then you may benefit from the services of an experienced attorney by your side from the very beginning. There will be so much going on in the immediate aftermath that you might lose sight of what is going on.
It is important that you do not lose track though because your recovery will depend upon it. More than anything else, your lawyer can ensure you stick to what needs to be done right after the incident and all the way through until verdict or settlement, like these things:
- Work with the police
- Itemize your injuries and costs
- Investigate what happened
- Communicate with the insurance companies
- Write and file a case in county court
What should I do at the scene of a car accident? We can discuss this after an accident in a free case evaluation.
What Can You Obtain in Court or Settlement?
If you take care of what needs to be done at the car scene and all the way through the investigation, you may be able to recover damages for the injuries involved in the accident.
The general extent of your compensation stems from your individual harms and losses. These cannot be predicted and need to be analyzed specifically to you. You cannot draw on what other people obtained from a different case, involving another car and circumstances.
No, you need to show how you lost from the events. This normally begins with out-of-pocket expenses (called economic damages) like healthcare bills, property loss, and wage loss.
Then, plaintiffs normally file for non-economic damages such as disfigurement, disability, pain and suffering, and lost enjoyment of life among other things. Some victims may receive punitive and wrongful death damages, but the first two categories are far more common.
What should I do at the scene of a car accident? Call us right after the accident, we can help you answer this question together.
How Long Do You Have to Bring an Accident Claim?
Once you leave the accident scene and progress in your rehab, you need to be cognizant that you have less time than you think to file a case. Illinois limits plaintiffs to two years from when the accident happens.
That means you have to investigate, draft, and file your lawsuit within that amount of time. It is really not a whole heck of a lot, and many people do not get it within a timely manner. Failure to do so means you won’t be able to sue at all.
Cases brought against Negligent Drivers or Their Insurance Company
$350k Car Accident Settlement:
The plaintiff was parked at a red light on the south side of Chicago when the defendant rear-ended him. He sustained whiplash and other cervical injuries.
He needed back and spinal surgeries totaling over $100,000 in medical expenses for his injuries from the accident. To make up for these pain and costs, he sued the defendant.
The defendant did not have the necessary funds to cover the plaintiff’s damages. However, his insurance carrier covered the gap and the plaintiff obtained $350,000 in settlement compensation.
$100k Auto Crash Settlement:
The defendant blew threw a stop sign and t-boned the plaintiff’s car, a 34-year-old man. He broke his hip and damaged soft tissue in his back-totaling $11,000 in medical expenses.
The woman denied where the incident occurred but did not dispute overall fault. Therefore, counsel for the two sides both engaged in negotiations to settle the dispute. The man received $100,000 for his pain, suffering, and costs.
$675k Motor Vehicle Settlement:
The plaintiff, a man in his early fifties, was sitting quietly at a red light when the defendant rear-ended him while attempting to turn left through an intersection. The plaintiff suffered several personal injuries including whiplash, a concussion, and cervical radiculopathy.
The bill for the medical expenses alone was more than $225,000 for the accident. While the defendant initially balked at any talk of settlement negotiations, the two sides were finally able to come to an agreement.
The plaintiff received the sum of $675,000 for his economic and non-economic damages due to the accident.
$100k Negotiated Settlement:
This automobile accident occurred in downtown Chicago. The plaintiff, a man in his late forties, was being driven by a cab to a social engagement. The defendant crashed into his car while attempting to make a left-hand turn through an intersection.
The plaintiff sustained whiplash, a broken collarbone, and a concussion. He racked up tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses and other harms and losses, not to mention substantial pain and suffering.
In the end, the parties were able to work out a settlement to end the protracted litigation for the amount of $100,000 in financial compensation.
There are somewhere around six million car accidents each year. Stay protected and get help if you are involved in an accident.
Speak to an Attorney If You Are Involved in a Motor Vehicle Collision
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have worked with countless victims of motor vehicle crashes. We know how to get help and compensation under Illinois law and many other states.
Talk to us in a no-obligation consultation about what you and your family could get in a case or claim. Our services are free if we do not win. You can call us 24/7 to get started at (888) 424-5757.
