Protecting Your Rights after You Have Been Hurt in a Motor Vehicle Accident

After a car accidentIn the aftermath of an automobile accident, in the confusion and uncertainty that can abound, it can be easy to forget to take simple steps to protect your rights. Here are the most important things to do.

Get the Medical Care You Need

This is legal, as well as medical, advice. Before you can even think about protecting your legal rights, you need to make certain you get all the treatment you need. Remember, this isn’t the time to be brave. Don’t try to shake off serious injuries. If you find it difficult to move under your own power, don’t try to do so. Let emergency responders come and examine you. They will take every precaution to ensure that you don’t make your injuries worse, and that you get the care you need.

Even if you leave the scene under your own power, take yourself to an emergency clinic, a hospital emergency room, or make an immediate appointment with your doctor. You may have injuries that have not yet surfaced. Get a checkout and tell medical personnel exactly what happened and advise them of anything that feels out of the ordinary. Don’t just focus on the most obvious injury—don’t let all the attention focus on your broken leg without telling them that you hurt your back or neck, or bumped your head.

Getting the medical treatment you need is critical to protecting your legal rights. When you seek damages, a significant portion of your recovery will be based on any physical injuries you suffer. You need to document them as soon as possible, so that defense attorneys don’t try to claim they were the result of some event other than the motor vehicle accident.

Gather as Much Information as You Can

The more information you gather, the easier it will likely be for your attorney to prepare a case to help you get full and fair compensation for your losses. If you can, get basic contact information from anyone else involved in the accident, as well as witnesses. This includes name, phone number, e-mail address, home address, and name of their insurance company.

It can also be beneficial to get pictures. Use the camera on your phone, if necessary. Take pictures of anything related to the accident, from the damage to your vehicle or any bruises or scrapes you may have to skid marks, traffic signals and signs, and even weather conditions.

Contact Us

At Taylor & Boguski, we bring more than 70 years of combined legal experience to injured people throughout New Jersey. For a free initial consultation, contact our office online or call us at 856-234-2233.