Accidents happen when they are least expected and may set back an individual. They are mostly financially and emotionally overwhelming to the party involved.
That is why you must know the right steps to take when you get involved in an accident. Some of the steps to take may include the following:
1. Dial 911
In Chicago, accidents that lead to death or injury should be reported right away to police officers. The officer on duty will write a report on the accident involving an injury or death.
Ensure you also get an official report from the police offers. It must include everything that happens. It should as well as contain relevant insurance details, the police officer’s bad number, and their name.
2. Contact a Lawyer
Once you report the case to law enforcement, ensure you contact one of the most experienced personal injury lawyers in Chicago, Illinois, to handle your case.
Even when you think injury or accident wasn’t serious, you don’t know what issues may pop up. Mostly, in such a case, you will need someone to protect you.
Insurance firms always want to offer victims lowball offers. That means they don’t have your best interest at heart. But your attorney in Chicago will help by ensuring your interests and rights are properly protected.
3. Gather Important Information
Use your smartphone’s camera to take photographs of the documents you need. You may also use a piece of paper and a pen to get the necessary details. These may include a phone number, driver’s license number, address, and name.
If the driver’s name doesn’t match with insurance papers or the car’s registration, get to know the individual’s relationship to the car’s owner. Afterward, collect the car’s information, including color, year, and make or model.
4. Get Medical Help
Your immediate safety and health are important and must be your main concern following a fatal accident. If the paramedics come to the accident scene, ensure you are checked on, and the injuries are treated and documented.
Even when you feel like you are not hurt, it will be best to see your doctor still, whether at the scene of the accident or at the emergency room. Most accident injuries, concussions, and whiplash show up immediately. That is why you must have documentation from a healthcare expert to show there is a connection between your injuries and the accident.
5. Talk to Eyewitnesses
If there are eyewitnesses at the accident scene, ensure you speak to them. And request them to describe or illustrate what they witnessed at the accident scene.
As they do so, ensure you take note of their name in full, the time you talked to them, and other details of the events that transpired in the accident.
You may also want to record your conversation instead of writing it down. But of course, with their permission.
Final Remarks!
Accidents, whether involving medical malpractice, slip and fall, or car crashes, are common in Chicago. Following an accident, it might be hard to make the right decisions. This is why, if you don’t know what to do next, it will be best first to contact your attorney to guide you through.
