If you are involved in a car accident, the first rule of thumb is to keep everyone safe. Make sure that no one in your car is injured. If no one is seriously injured, exit the vehicle after checking to make sure that no cars are coming. Often times, an accident will place your vehicles in a dangerous position. Be sure you get your bearings before jumping out of your car. Sometimes one accident begets another and it is far safer to be shielded by your car than to be standing in the middle of an accident scene. If possible, drive your car to the side of the road to keep yourself out of the way of traffic.
Approach the drivers of the other cars involved in the accident, but remember to stay calm. After an accident, everyone involved will be shaken up, and thus level-minded thinking will be tremendously helpful. Additionally, no matter what happened, do not admit guilt at the scene. Do not run to the other people involved and apologize profusely. You can act sorry without saying you are sorry. After all, actions speak louder than words. Even if the accident was your fault, simply collect contact information from the other drivers and do not confess to anything until you speak with your insurance agents as well as your Maryland Auto Accident lawyers at Shapiro Zwanetz & Lake (SZL).
The most crucial information to gather from other drivers after an accident is their license plate numbers, driver’s license numbers, full names, telephone numbers and addresses. Also collect insurance information if possible. It’s a good idea to take pictures of the scene and damaged vehicles with your cell phone, so that you can properly document an accident for your insurance company and lawyers. Take pictures of the overall scene of the accident, as well as specific damage to your vehicle and the other vehicles involved. After collecting information from the other drivers and documenting the damage, call the police to file an accident report, and then call your insurance company.
If anyone involved in the accident has been injured, the very first thing you must do is to call 911. Use any first aid equipment or blankets that may be in your trunk to attend to injured people until an ambulance arrives. If you have no blankets then use spare articles of clothing to assist any injured individual on the scene.
Next to safety concerns, the second most important thing to remember is that if any of your passengers, or the driver of your car, have been injured and you are in Maryland, you’ll want to contact your Maryland personal injury attorney at Shapiro Zwanetz & Lake as soon as you get to a safe place.
The personal injury team at Shapiro Zwanetz & Lake will work with your insurance provider to collect money from the at-fault driver to cover hospital bills and any other medical fees. They will also provide you with a FREE consultation and free case analysis. If you have a case there will be NO FEE IF NO RECOVERY!
Again, if someone is injured, do not admit fault in the accident until you have first spoken to your Maryland personal injury attorneys. The personal injury attorneys at Shapiro Zwanetz & Lake (SZL) are seasoned professionals who have successful strategies for helping injured victims in any type of accident, and they’ll want to do the speaking on your behalf.