Imagine you’re just going to the grocery store down the road one evening to rent a movie from Red Box and on the way there you are literally blind-sided and T-boned by another driver. You come to and you are bleeding, and unsure of how badly injured you are. As the dust settles, you see the other vehicle that looks like an SUV, but the driver isn’t in their vehicle. You look around and see a person staggering and wobbly trying to run down the street. Unaware to you, the driver of the SUV is very intoxicated and is trying to run away from the scene of the accident. Luckily, you saw enough of the person leaving the scene to have an accurate description to give to police. You call 911 and the dispatcher gets your information and says that law enforcement is on the way.
Nearly, one-in-three people are involved in a drunk driving accident in their lifetime, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Lots of times, car accidents involving drunk drivers can lead to serious injury, if not death, lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other losses and grievances.
What is The First Order of Business After Being Hit?
Calling the police is the first thing you should be concerned with, if you’ve just been involved in traffic accident. They can also dispatch emergency crews, if you or any passengers need medical attention at the scene. According to MADD, you should be prepared to give the authorities the following information:
- Accurate vehicle description of the other car, including make, model, color and license number. The authorities can use this information to pull up the driver’s information, so they’ll have more details about who to look for if the driver fled the accident scene.
- Report how many people are injured and how badly. Don’t move anyone who complains of back or neck pain.
- If the other driver appears to be drunk or stone, don’t attempt to make contact. Just wait for the authorities to show up. If you can, take a picture of the alleged offender.
- Don’t try and be a hero by stopping or detaining the alleged offender. It’s not worth any additional injury to yourself or your family.
- If no one is too terribly injured and your vehicle is drivable, move it to a safe location nearby.
What to Do If You Are Injured?
Don’t wait to get medical care. If there is even the slightest doubt in your mind, go to a physician and get checked out anyway, because sometimes head and neck injuries may not show up until a few days or sometimes even weeks later. Insurers will think it is suspect, if you wait weeks to finally get medical attention. They’ll think you are fishing for an insurance settlement. A doctor will give you an extensive examination and at the very least document that you’ve be seen for possible injuries. This will provide you with tangible evidence, even if your injuries really surface later.
What to Do If Your Car is Totaled?
If your car is hit and it is a total loss, don’t worry because the other driver’s insurance company can give you a settlement and a rental car until you get another vehicle. Hiring an attorney will help ensure that you get the exact value that your car was worth. Otherwise, the industry practice is for insurance companies is to give as low of a settlement for your vehicle as possible. A sharp and experienced Denver car accident attorney won’t let the insurance company take advantage of you.
Contact an Experienced New Jersey Car Accident Attorney at Greenberg & Walden, LLC
Have you been injured and had your car hit in a car accident? If so, don’t chance letting the other driver’s insurance company to compensate you properly, because in the insurance industry adjustors are training to dole out as little for settlements as possible. Contact a New Jersey Car Accident Attorney at Greenberg & Walden, LLC for assistance in every aspect of your car accident recovery. Our New Jersey car accident attorney is known for being aggressive in terms of fighting for your rights and proper recovery of compensation for all of your losses, including medical bills, rehabilitation, replacing a totaled car, and more.
For a free initial consultation, call (201) 528-6928 to set up an appointment to learn more how we can help you in your recover. Or, email us via the contact form on this page.
