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If you or a loved one is in a catastrophic vehicle accident, Searcy Denney wants you to know the steps you can take to recover.
If your head has just hit your windshield, or you are dangling upside down in your seat belt, it seems impossible to collect your thoughts, much less take action that will save lives and get immediate help. Nonetheless, based on our 30 years experience with catastrophic vehicle accident cases, here is what to do in this dangerous situation.
If you are in an accident, try to stay calm. Your first priority is to get immediate medical help. If you have a cell phone, dial 911. Or flag down a passing vehicle or pedestrian and ask them to call 911.
Assess the condition of other passengers in your car. After you have called for help, look around and try to determine if others are badly hurt. Tell your companions to stay calm, and assure them that help is on the way. If you are in a position to provide first aid, do so. But generally, it is dangerous to move anyone who may have a serious injury.
Be alert to the details of the accident. If you can, make notes on the circumstances of the accident, such as the time, the place, and exactly what happened. Identify not only participants – the driver of other vehicles, for example – but also witnesses who can corroborate your story. Be sure to get license plate numbers, names, addresses, and telephone numbers.
It is important to cooperate. When EMS personnel arrive, do not assume that you were not injured; follow their instructions. When the highway patrol or police arrive, tell them the facts. Do not move your car or any other potential evidence.
Notify your insurance carrier. If you are in a car crash, insurance companies require you to file with them in a timely manner. But you are not required to accept any offers they make for reimbursement or settlement of potential accident claims.
Get a copy of the police report. If you are to pursue any claim against the person at fault in your accident, you will need the police report to substantiate what happened.
Contact an experienced vehicle accident attorney. Choosing an attorney is a critical step, because you are putting your future, and your family’s future, in his or her hands. You want a firm you can trust to protect your interests and represent you aggressively as you seek the justice you and your family deserve.
At Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, we have more than 30 years experience handling Florida catastrophic vehicle accident cases for families whose loved ones have been killed or seriously injured. Our attorney teams include investigators and medical experts skilled in sorting out the details of your accident. If a family member has been killed, or you or a loved one has been injured, in a catastrophic vehicle accident, please fill out our Contact Form , or call us to learn more and arrange a confidential free consultation.