You may be a careful driver, but not everybody on the road drives like you. If you’ve been injured in an accident as a result of the negligence of another driver, you’ll want to protect any personal injury claim that you have. Here’s what you need to do.

Stop
Unless you’re creating a traffic hazard or traffic jam, stay where your car came to rest. Don’t move your car until police arrive to avoid being charged with leaving the scene of an accident that you didn’t cause. In addition you’ll also want the investigating officer to get the best perspective on how the accident happened.

Call 911
Don’t get talked out of calling 911. You’ll severely damage any personal injury case that you might have without a police investigation and report. The investigating officer’s report will contain all of the information needed to pursue a claim. You’ve been injured, so ask the 911 operator to send paramedics to the scene too. They’ll evaluate your condition, treat you at the accident scene and transport you to the nearest emergency room. The records of the paramedics and emergency room personnel will begin a long paper trail that you’ll need to document your personal injury case with.

Don’t Give a Statement
You can tell the investigating police officer what he or she needs to know about how the accident happened. Even though the accident wasn’t your fault, you don’t ever want to give a statement of any kind to the other insurance company. The law doesn’t say that you’re required to give a statement. The other insurer will only try to use your words as a weapon against you in the future for purposes of attacking your credibility.

Contact Our Offices
It’s critical that you contact our offices by phone or email to arrange a free consultation and case conference with a quality car accident lawyer. A personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles from our offices will listen to you closely, answer your questions and provide you with a full range of legal options.

Medical Appointments
Attend each and every medical or treatment appointment that you are granted. Gaps in treatment or missed appointments will lead to allegations of faking or malingering by the opposing insurer.

Never admit fault or say that you’re sorry. Stop, call 911, get treatment and contact a Los Angeles car accident lawyer from our offices right away.