What to Do Immediately After an Albany Car Accident
If you are involved in an Albany car accident, our team at the Johnston Law Firm wants to help. We know how confusing car accidents can be, and how overwhelmed you certainly feel. If you’re at a loss of what to do, consider these steps to take immediately after a crash to preserve your right to compensation through the claims process:
- Call your insurer. Do not delay in reporting your accident! If you wait too long to report your car crash, your insurance company may deny your claim.
- Call an Albany car crash lawyer. The earlier that you reach out to an attorney, the sooner that your Albany car crash lawyer can begin working on your case, building your claim, gathering evidence, and more.
- Stop your vehicle, check in with others, and take pictures. Following a crash, it’s important that you stop your vehicle, make sure that everyone within your vehicle and the other vehicle are okay, and then take as many pictures of the accident scene as you can. Taking pictures will serve as a key form of evidence throughout the claims process, and can paint a rich story of how the accident happened.
- Call the police, exchange information with the other driver. If you are not injured to the point where your injuries preclude you from doing so, be sure to call the police while you are still at the scene of the accident, file a police report (and request a copy of this report), and exchange information with the other driver for the purpose of filing an insurance claim. If there are any eyewitnesses to the accident, write down witnesses’ names and information, too.
- Get medical care. In addition to filing a police report and gathering as much evidence at the scene as possible, one of the most important things that you can do after a crash is to seek medical care for your injuries. Even if you don’t think that your injuries are “serious,” you need to go to the doctor. Some injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries and soft tissue injuries, may not be immediately apparent – if you don’t go to the doctor, though, you won’t establish a link between your injuries and the accident.
You May be Entitled to Compensation After an Albany Car Wreck
When the negligence of another party leads to your injuries, you deserve to be compensated for your harm in full. Our lawyers will work hard to prove fault and causation, and to make sure you recover the full value of damages to compensate you for your medical expenses, lost wages, property damage costs, and noneconomic losses, such as pain, suffering, and emotional distress.
The time limit to file a car accident lawsuit in Albany is two years from the date that your crash occurs – if you wait longer than two years from the date of accident, you may be barred from recovery. While most car accident claims will settle out of court, we urge you to start the process as soon as possible to ensure that you are not at risk of breaching the statute of limitations.
Call Our Albany Car Accident Attorneys Today
For a free consultation with our Albany car accident attorneys, please call our law firm directly at 503-546-3167 or send us a message telling us more about your crash and the damages you’ve suffered. We take a personalized approach to developing a strategy for our clients, and will make sure that you feel like you’re important to us. To learn more about our services and how to start the process today, please reach out at your convenience. We offer free consultations.
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