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If you’re taking a road trip, it’s important to know what to do if something goes wrong. If you have an accident on the road and it wasn’t your fault, let Wheeling drunk driving accident lawyer help you, so you should be able to recover compensation for your damages. However, some unexpected consequences of filing a claim after an auto accident may worsen things if you don’t plan. That’s why we want to give you some tips on how to handle yourself after a car accident during your trip:
Exchange Information With the Other Driver
If you’ve been in an accident, it can be hard to think clearly. But there are several things that you should do right away. First and foremost, exchange information with the other driver. This means getting their name, address, phone number, and insurance information. You should also get their driver’s license, license plate, and insurance company’s name.
Take Photos of the Scene
Take photos of the scene and any damage, including your vehicle and the other. The Department of Insurance recommends taking pictures of both vehicles, including their license plates and any visible damage to your car or theirs. You should also take photos or videos of yourself taken from all angles and close-up shots of any injuries you sustained in the accident. Lastly, it’s a good idea to include a picture of yourself with an officer on the scene so they can verify that you were present at the time of an accident if needed later on down the road when filing paperwork or seeking compensation for damages caused by another driver’s negligence.
Taking pictures right after an accident is essential because memory can fade over time. Photos help ensure that details like how long there was no traffic around before someone hit them won’t get lost over time due to faulty recall.
Contact the Police
If you have a minor accident, you should still contact the police. They’ll give you a police report and make sure everyone is safe. Give your information to the officer who arrives on the scene. You’ll need to provide them with your name, address, phone number, driver’s license number, and vehicle registration numbers.
Also, get their name and badge number so that if there’s any confusion later on about what happened or how much damage was caused by each party involved in the accident, it will be easy for you to verify their information with them directly. This will ensure that you don’t have to go through someone else, like an insurance investigator or police officer, who might not even know how this accident occurred in the first place!
Connect With a Local Personal Injury Lawyer
Now that you know what to expect, it’s time to get the help of a local personal injury lawyer.
- Find an attorney. An excellent place to start is the phone book or online directory of attorneys in your area, but don’t hesitate to ask friends and family for references. Once you’ve found some names, ask how much they charge and how long they usually take with cases like yours. You’ll want someone who’s both friendly and efficient. Don’t be afraid to shop around until you find one who fits your style!
- When selecting a personal injury lawyer, choose someone who knows the local laws and procedures of where the accident occurred. If you are on a long road trip that covers multiple states of the country, you should need a lawyer specializing in the particular state or area you had the accident. So, if you stay in Colorado and the accident occurred in St. Louis, Missouri, your attorney in Colorado might not be able to help as much as a St. Louis personal injury lawyer.
- Get started on filing paperwork with your insurance company immediately—this is essential if injuries were sustained during the accident or damage to either car involved in the crash. Your lawyer should be able to help with this part, too; just make sure that he or she does so before submitting any documents yourself! Otherwise, you could pay more later down the road when things inevitably get sticky between yourself and another party involved in similar accidents nearby, elsewhere within state limits, or even outside them, depending on where precisely each driver currently lives.
Report the Accident to Your Insurance Company
It is essential to report the accident even if you were not at fault. If you do not notify your insurance company of the crash, they will most likely not pay for any damage to your car. This can lead to many extra expenses in the future because you won’t have enough coverage on your policy or may even be dropped by your current insurance provider.
It is also important to note that if someone else was at fault, they might try and get away without paying for any damages they caused. They may decide that they don’t want their insurance rates to go up, so they will lie about what happened to avoid paying out any money.
Final Thoughts
If you have an accident during a road trip, it may interrupt your plans, but it doesn’t have to derail them entirely right away. If the other driver was at fault, you should contact the police and tell them what happened. The last thing you want is to be held responsible for something that’s not your fault! You can also file a claim with your insurance company if necessary (and they’ll probably advise you to do this), but as long as there aren’t any injuries or significant damage involved, there’s no reason why this incident needs to slow down your trip significantly.
We hope this article has given you some helpful tips for what to do if you get into an accident during a road trip. Of course, it’s never easy to deal with the aftermath of an accident, and the added stress of being on the road can make things even more complicated. But don’t worry! We know that many good personal injury lawyers can help you get back on track and get some peace of mind to focus on enjoying your vacation instead of stressing about legal paperwork.