7 Crucial Steps to Follow After a Kansas City Car Accident

7 Crucial Steps to Follow After a Kansas City Car Accident

Current estimates in the United States indicate that there are 6 million car accidents every year. Almost a third of these accidents result in the injured party sustaining what they would deem “permanent” injuries. Many of these accidents and the injuries that result are caused by careless driving. Of the accidents that result in someone being injured, 1 in 5 involve a driver who was distracted at the time of the accident.

Car Accident Case Factors

No two car accidents are the same. Collisions occur due to a wide array of factors that may completely transform the trajectory of any case. With each case, the specific details that led to the accident will change the approach that an attorney must take to proceed on the case. It is vital to locate an attorney who has the breadth of experience to handle your specific car accident as it relates to the type of accident or scenario that occurred.

TYPES OF CAR WRECKS:

  • Rear-End Collisions
  • Stalled Vehicles
  • Drunk Driving Accidents
  • Multi-Vehicle Accidents
  • Uninsured Motorist (UM) Accidents
  • Under-insured Motorist (UIM) Accidents
  • Bike Accident
  • Uber/Lyft Accident

Steps to Take After a Car Accident

Car accidents can be very disorienting. They are unexpected, sudden, and often result in injury. For injured parties, it may be difficult to process what has occurred in the moments after a car wreck. Developing a good understanding of the measures to be taken after you’ve been involved in a wreck will be very beneficial to ensure your safety and to make sure that you know how to proceed with the obstacles that follow. Here is a list of seven crucial steps to follow after a car accident:

1. MOVE YOUR VEHICLE TO A SAFE PLACE AND ATTEMPT TO ALERT ONCOMING TRAFFIC

After you have been in an accident, your vehicle will often still be in the roadway and in the flow of oncoming traffic. It is important that when possible you maneuver your vehicle out of the pathway of oncoming traffic. This will prevent subsequent risks such as further collisions after you have exited your vehicle. Activate your vehicle’s emergency flashers and if you have items such as road flares, use these in the roadway if possible.

2. KEEP CALM AND BE CAUTIOUS OF WHAT YOU SAY

Once your vehicle has been safely removed from the roadway, you will likely be able to make contact with the driver who struck you. Do your very best to remain calm, polite, and professional in your interactions. You must keep in mind that there is a chance that something you say to the other driver may be used against you in subsequent litigation, so it is best to keep the conversation short and focused on the exchange of information. Once you have obtained the driver’s insurance and contact information, thank them for their cooperation and then separate to contact the police.

3. CALL YOUR LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT

Depending on the jurisdiction of your car accident, and the injuries that are ascertainable, the police precinct that you call may or may not wish to send an officer out to investigate the crash and draft a report on site. If a police officer does report to the scene, be sure to give a comprehensive report of how the incident occurred. Also, ensure that you have conveyed to the officer any injuries that you feel you may have sustained as a result. If you require immediate treatment at the hospital, the officer may wait to speak with you at the hospital to obtain your report of what occurred.

4. TAKE PHOTOS OF THE VEHICLES, CRASH SCENE, AND YOUR INJURIES

Photos are crucial in any car accident case. They provide an incontrovertible vantage into what happened that day and the damage depicted in the photos will be useful for anyone evaluating your case. Often where there is a dispute in how the accident occurred, photos of the vehicles will lend evidence to one side or another. It is also important to photograph your injuries in the days following an accident to have evidence of the damages that you seek compensation for.

5. CONSIDER MEDICAL TREATMENT

It is always best to be on the safe side after a car accident and get checked out by a medical professional. If you have not suffered a severe injury that requires transportation by ambulance, then you can drive yourself to the hospital to be evaluated. Often a driver who has been rear-ended will not be able to feel the physical symptoms of a car accident injury until long after the impact, and so it is important to be proactive and attempt to detect any injuries sustained.

6. CONTACT AN ATTORNEY

Once you have safely removed yourself from immediate danger, obtained clearance for your injuries, and made contact with the police department, your next step should be to contact an attorney immediately. You will want to do this as soon as possible in this process because there are many time-sensitive elements to a car accident case that must be handled correctly in the hours and days following a wreck.

7. COMPILE YOUR RECORDS INTO AN ORGANIZED FILE

All of the photos, notes, and records that accompany your case are crucial for successfully pursuing compensation for your damages. Once you have completed the above-listed steps, take some time to get all of your materials related to the wreck together, make copies of them if possible, and then organize them into a file. If you are able to digitize them, email this file to your attorney so that they may add it to their file and use it as necessary.

Why Hire Fletcher Law Office for a Car Accident Case?

The attorneys at Fletcher Law Office, LLC have a wealth of experience with car accidents that we employ in each and every case regardless of the size or severity of the accident. Our law firm is well equipped to handle car accident cases and the injuries that may have been sustained as a result. Contact Fletcher Law after an accident for a free consultation. We will give it our full attention and evaluate your case with integrity and honesty.