Personal Injury Law

what to do right after a car accident in Louisiana

By Timothy Young

Car accidents happen to even the safest drivers. Even when you're doing everything right, you can't count on the drivers around you to act as safely, and unfortunately, it only takes one mistake to cause an accident.

If you are in a car accident and are lucky enough to be able to walk away from the car, then you might think that the worst part is over. And while you might be right, there are certain things you need to be aware of during the period of time immediately following a crash, so that you don't have a nightmare experience later.

Here are some tips for things you should and shouldn't do after a car crash, which should help ensure as few problems as possible with doctors, lawyers and insurance companies:

-Don't give statements to anyone: Until you've spoken with your own lawyer, you could easily say something that can work against you in an insurance proceeding or a court of law. Even an apology to the other driver can be misconstrued as you admitting fault in the accident. Also, don't say that you feel fine. Many injuries don't manifest themselves immediately, but if you go on the record saying that you weren't injured at the scene, it will be very difficult to link any later physical complications to that accident.

-Get details from the accident scene: Take pictures of the damage done to the cars, get as much contact information as you can from the other driver, and get the police report numbers for the accident. This will help your lawyer out immensely.

-Seek immediate medical care: This will not only help you physically, but a doctor will also be able to detect injuries with medical technology before you can detect them with a physical reaction. This can get you on the road to recovery much sooner.

If you keep your head about you and act wisely, you can take immediate steps to protect yourself after your accident.

Full post as published by New Orleans Personal Injury Lawyer on March 19, 2010 (boomark / email).