What to do following your car accident

If you have been injured in a car accident, you need to act to protect your rights.  Many people have never been involved in a car accident and have no idea where to begin.

Please contact Quad City Car Accident Attorney David Mahl with any questions or to schedule a Free Consultation.

It all begins at the scene of the accident.

• If you have been in an accident, call the police. This will create a record of what happened in the accident and could result in a citation being issued if the person who caused the accident is found in violation of a motor vehicle statute.  A failure to call the police will result in one less piece of evidence that could assist you down the road in proving that you were not at fault in the accident and the other person was.

• If you are injured, seek immediate treatment. Immediately following an accident, your system is pumped full of adrenaline.  Often a person in a car accident will feel “shaken but OK” at the scene and feel terrible the following morning.  If you feel hurt at the accident scene, request an ambulance and get treatment at the emergency room.  If you wake up the next day and feel terrible, don’t second guess the situation, get treatment for your injuries.  If you don’t seek treatment and try to “tough it out”, the defense insurance company could argue that you your injuries are minimal or that you weren’t injured at all.  Additionally, if you see a health care provider and treatment plan is established, follow their orders and do what is recommended to get healthy.

• Report the accident to all insurance companies. You have car insurance specifically because of this situation. You have paid your insurance premiums for years, don’t attempt to settle your possible claim without all parties, insurance companies included, knowing what happened.

• Call an experienced car accident attorney. The vast majority of individuals have not been in a car accident, or maybe have been in a prior accident years ago.  Because of this, most people have little, if any, knowledge of the process that takes place from when the accident occurs through when the claim resolves.  An experienced attorney will be able to guide you through the process from day one to resolution.  David A. Mahl provides free case evaluations to determine if you could benefit from hiring an attorney.

Call the  Law Office of David Mahl at 563-332-0362 to schedule a Free Consultation.