What To Do After A Car Accident In Texas Or Oklahoma

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Most people don’t know what to do after a car accident if they have never been in one.

If you have been in an accident, or get into one in the future, there are steps you can take to improve the strength of your injury claim right away.

If you take nothing else from this page, let it be this: Do not talk to insurance adjusters about your accident. Contact an attorney and refer insurance company questions to your lawyer. At Hoover Rogers Law, LLP we hammer away at the insurance companies so you can focus on healing.

What to do after an accident

Your priorities after a crash should be your safety, your health, and protecting your legal rights. Here’s what to do after a crash.

Call 911. Call emergency services and report the accident. Tell them where you are and if anyone is injured or stuck. Remain at the scene until the police arrive.

Make a timeline. As soon as you are able to do so, write down details about the crash. Focus on time, date, location, weather, injuries, property damage, witnesses, and any details you can remember about how the accident happened. This is for your own records and may help you recall details later.

Take photos and videos. Visual evidence can be strong supporting material for an insurance claim. From multiple distances and angles, get shots of the accident scene, the car wreck, point of impact, and all injuries.

Identify witnesses. The police will do their own investigation, but it is a good idea for you to identify witnesses yourself. If there are witnesses, ask for their names, contact information, community of residence, and any details they can recall about the accident.

Get medical attention. If there is a paramedic or emergency medical technician (EMT) at the scene, allow them to examine you. Even if you feel fine, there may be internal injuries. An EMT can address obvious injuries and may be able to detect other damage.

See a doctor. Being checked out by an EMT is a good first step, but you need to see a physician after a car accident. Doctors have more time, equipment, and training to give you a thorough post-crash exam. Go to your primary care provider (PCP), an urgent care center or the emergency room.

Do not discuss your accident. Only discuss the details of your crash and the extent of your injuries with your lawyer and your doctor. Don’t discuss with anyone else, and don’t post on social media. Anything you say to someone about the wreck can be used against you.

Inform your insurance company. You must report the accident to your insurance company soon after a car accident. However, keep your comments brief. Stick to the facts of what happened: location, time, date, people involved, etc. Don’t speculate about fault. Don’t go into detail about your injuries, either; saying “I’m getting medical treatment” is plenty.

Don’t talk to the other driver’s insurance company. After an accident, there is no reason or obligation for you to talk to the at-fault driver’s insurance adjuster at all. Anything you say to them will be used against you. If they contact you, ask them to talk to your lawyer.

Contact an attorney. The sooner you get a car accident lawyer on your side, the better. We need to preserve evidence and take immediate action to protect your legal rights and options.

Focus on healing – we’ll handle the rest

No one is ever really prepared to be the victim of a bad car accident. Unfortunately, every day many people in Texas and Oklahoma are forced to face terrifying incidents as well as the confusion and pain that must be overcome during recovery.

In general, there’s only one reason for an insurance company to pay up — if it is cheaper to pay your demand than fight your claim in court. If there is no threat of potential legal action, there is basically no incentive for the insurance adjuster to negotiate with you.

Our car accident lawyers proudly serve and fight hard for people hurt by the negligence of others in the Wichita Falls and Lawton area. Our law firm does not accept lowball offers. We would rather spend more time working on your case than take less money than you deserve.

Our law firm provides free injury case evaluations and represents accident victims on contingency. This means that there is no retainer or hourly rate for you to pay. Our fee is calculated into your final settlement or verdict. If we don’t win, we don’t get paid.

Contact us now to schedule a free injury case evaluation and learn more about how the law applies to your accident.

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