1) Secure your safety– Don’t compound a bad situation by making it worse. If you had a motor vehicle accident in your car or from a rideshare platform like Uber or Lyft, pull the vehicles to a shoulder or out of the way of harm if at all possible. Do not get out of a vehicle on a busy highway to inspect damage to a vehicle without first securing yourself and your occupants in a safe area in which to do so.
2) Call the Police immediately and allow them to do their job which is to make a report of the incident and allow them to take statements from those people involved in the accident. If you are unable to make a statement you can always supplement a Police Report at a later date with a statement if the report includes inaccurate or incomplete information.
3) If you are injured or feel any pain or discomfort let a Police Officer know and have him record this in the report no matter how insignificant this pain or discomfort may be at the time of the accident- often an adrenaline rush after a stressful situation makes us not recognize that we may be injured because we are so consumed by the events that just occurred. If you have an ache or pain let the Officer know.
4) Go to an emergency room if you are having any physical pains or problems so that these issues may be recorded and be causally related to the accident at a later date. DON’T be a hero and think that everything will go away. Insurance company’s love to argue that the accident was so insignificant that no one even went to an emergency room after the accident.
5) Follow up with your Doctor (for any continuing physical complaints) and an Attorney as soon thereafter as practical. An attorney can provide you with specific details as to how to proceed and who you should speak with and more importantly who you should not speak with: Hint- (Potential Defendant representatives). Have the Police Report and a copy of your Auto Insurance Policy available for review by the Attorney for any meeting.
Call us today at (908) 228-8800 if you or a loved one had a car accident and would like to have your case reviewed by The Law Office of Mitchell H. Portnoi P.C.
Mitchell H. Portnoi, Esq.
Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney
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