Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
The upset of a South Miami truck accident can be enormous, especially if there is someone injured in the accident. However, the steps you take immediately after an accident can determine your options later on. According to experts, after a South Miami traffic accident, it is important to:
1) Remain calm. While it is normal to panic after a serious South Miami motorcycle accident or truck accidents, you need to focus in order to help others and yourself.
2) If anyone is injured, call for emergency help. Assist others at the scene. If you are trapped in your car, turn on the hazard lights to indicate that you need help.
3) If you are in danger of obstructing traffic and no one has been seriously injured, pull over to the side of the road. Florida law demands it and if your failure to get away from the road causes a secondary South Miami car accident, there could be more injuries.
4) Exchange information with the truck driver involved. Get their license information, address, phone number, name, insurance and truck carrier company name as well as the number of the vehicle. Get the names and contact information of any emergency personnel or witnesses on the scene.
5) Take photos of the accident scene and surrounding area if at all possible – and as soon as possible after the accident. Even photos from a cell phone can be helpful. Photos can help attorneys and insurance carriers determine exactly what happened and what factors – including weather or road conditions – could have contributed to the South Miami traffic collision.
6) Contact your insurance company. If you are injured, contact a personal injury attorney as well. Your insurance company can help you start a claim while a South Miami personal injury attorney can protect your rights and ensure that you get the fairest compensation possible for your injuries. It is important to call soon after your injury, as both insurance carriers and attorneys will want to gather evidence in the case and evidence tends to disappear quickly after the clean up after an accident.
7) Avoid moving anyone at the scene who has been injured. In some cases, South Miami brain injury and spinal injury patients may actually be hurt more if they are moved. Wait for emergency personnel for help.
8) Stay at the scene of the accident until the matter is resolved. If police are on the scene, wait until they tell you to leave. If the accident is relatively minor, stay until you have offered help to anyone who needs it and have exchanged all important license and contact information with the other drivers.
9) Avoid accepting cash from the other driver in lieu of an insurance claim.
10) Avoid signing any documents until you have had them reviewed by a South Miami personal injury attorney. Just sign the police report and wait for legal advice before signing any papers from an attorney, insurance claimant, or the other driver or their employer.
11) Avoid getting your car repaired at once. If you decide to file a claim, your insurance carrier or a personal injury attorney may need to look at the vehicle to assess the damage.
If you need a South Miami car accident attorney after an accident, contact the Flaxman Law Group. The legal team at the Flaxman Law Group has decades of experience and has a phone line staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so that you can always reach a live person after an accident. The Flaxman Law Group is also pleased to offer free, no obligation consultations to all new clients.