We’re all at risk of getting injured as a result of someone else’s wrongful act. It could be a car accident, an accident at work, or even getting injured by a product. These incidents happen to everyone, and sometimes the injuries might be severe and need medical care and surgeries. However, no matter how severe the injury is, as long as the incident wasn’t your fault, you should be compensated for your losses and your medical expenses should be covered; but to get your rights and ensure that you will receive what you’re entitled to, there are a few steps that you should follow. Here’s what you should do in case you get injured.
Contact Your Lawyer
When you get injured from a product, car crashes, or unsafe workplace, you should inform your personal injury attorney. Your lawyer should be informed right after the incident so they can start working on your case immediately and ensure that you get what you’re entitled to.
Not contacting a lawyer at all, because you think the injuries aren’t severe, will give the other party advantage to either blame you for the accident or lower the amount they should pay. If you’re in Arizona and you’re looking for a free consultation, visit here and contact a professional lawyer to walk you through the steps. This will also help you determine whether hiring a lawyer is needed or not. In some cases, like getting injured while working, the company you’re working for will cover your medical expenses and the time you’ll be spending at home because of the injury. However, in case of a car accident or a defective product, you will need to hire an attorney as the other party will be hiring one to defend their case and decrease the compensation amount.
Collect Evidence
When you get injured in any kind of accident, you need proof that it wasn’t your fault, so you’ll need to gather evidence. Start by finding out what caused the accident. It might be a bit tricky when it comes to devices, especially if they have been damaged, but try to know whether it was from the device itself, the cable, or the instructions weren’t clear on how to use it. This information will be helpful when you’re filling for your insurance claim and will give you an advantage. If it was a car accident, try to know whether the other person was speeding or there was something on the road itself. However, when you figure out what causes the accident, don’t talk about it with anyone else but your lawyer, as it might be held against you by the other party’s insurance company.
You should also take as many photos as you could. Photos of your injuries and the place where the accident happened. After taking photos, write down everything you remember; it should include, the time and place of the accident, what happened right before it, how it happened, and write down the name and phone numbers of any witnesses around. The evidence will help you and your lawyer to prove that you weren’t the one at fault. Try looking around for any security footage that may have recorded the accident. It will support your insurance claim and ensure that you get all the compensation you’re entitled to.
Report to the Police
Sometimes we may think that the incident is not worth reporting to the police. However, this could cause you a lot of trouble in the future. Any accident that causes an injury, even minor injuries, should be reported. Right after an accident, you should call the police and inform them that there was an accident and wait for them to arrive. Staying at the scene until the police arrive to give you some privilege and credibility that it wasn’t your fault. You should provide an accurate statement to the police about what happened and avoid any assumptions. If you’re not sure what caused the accident or you don’t remember a certain aspect, don’t guess and inform the officers that you don’t know or don’t remember.
The police report can be taken as reliable evidence when trying to file an insurance claim and if the case escalated to court. It’s important because the police officers will investigate the scene and will be able to determine the cause of the accident and who was at fault. In case you got injured by a defective product, don’t touch the product until the officers arrive, as it might still be unsafe to approach it, or you might ruin the evidence.
Go to the Hospital
Of course, when you get injured, the first thing you’ll do is to seek medical attention, even if you believe that it’s not worth it. Many people underestimate the importance of visiting the hospital right after an accident because they believe that the injuries aren’t severe and end-up having internal damages. A lot of accidents result in minor visible injuries and major internal ones. Internal damages take a day or two before they start to show signs and not going to the hospital means that your injuries are getting worse and will need more time to heal and that you will not be able to report these injuries to the police or while filing for an insurance claim.
Not reporting your injuries right away to the police and having hospital receipts means that you have no proof that the accident caused these injuries. Going to the hospital right after the accident also gives you the privilege of having a doctor as a witness to your case and receipts of all the expenses you paid, which helps when you’re trying to get compensation for your injuries.
Accidents happen all the time, which is why it’s important to know what should be done after getting involved. Whether you or someone you know is injured or not, the accident should be reported to the police, your lawyer, and your insurance company. Your lawyer will help you figure out what caused the accident, walk you through the steps you should follow and will start working on your case right away. The most important step is to gather evidence as they will help support your case and you’ll be able to receive the compensation you deserve.
