According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) 246,752 crashes involving motor vehicles occurred in our state in 2020, and injury crashes account for about 21 percent of these.
Being involved in a car or truck accident even if no one is injured, can be a highly traumatic experience, leaving you uncertain as to what you should now do.
To help prepare you for a crash, and the odds are pretty good that sooner or later, most of us are going to be involved in some sort of accident, we want to prepare a brief list of things to do – and a couple not to do – if you’re involved in a car accident.
Do’s and Don’ts after a crash
The following are our suggestions from your friends at Block Law on ways to react after an accident.
Stay calm and say as little as possible.
An accident is a traumatic event that creates immediate stress. In the aftermath, it’s easy to apologize and accept blame. Don’t do that as anything you say may well be used against you in the aftermath of the wreck.
Call 911 for help.
Use your cell phone to make an immediate call to the 911 operator to secure medical assistance if needed and to get a police officer on the accident scene. The police will open an initial police report on the accident.
Take plenty of pictures.
After you call the police, you should use your cell phone camera to take pictures of all vehicles involved in the accident, including license plates, skid marks, and anything else that might help resolve any legal matters in the aftermath of the accident.
Get a copy of the accident report.
Within a day or so, you should be able to get the accident report filled out by the police officer who came to the scene.
File a written report, if necessary.
If you were involved in an accident involving death, bodily injury, or property damage of $1,500 or more ($500 if you don’t have auto insurance), you must file a report with IDOT within 10 days of the accident. Your report can be submitted by way of the IDOT website.
Be wary of the other driver’s insurance coverage.
There’s a good possibility you’ll be contacted by the other driver’s insurance company. When that happens, be polite but do not admit any blame, and do not under any circumstances sign a release or accept any financial settlement.
Be assured, they’ll be trying to pay you the minimum amount for your medical bills and property damage. You shouldn’t fall for this. Instead, after an accident occurs and clears, you should obtain the contact information of a reliable car accident attorney.
Experts In Personal Injury Law – Lawyers in Minooka, Il
Finally, and very importantly, you need to contact a car accident lawyer that can offer you sound legal advice and confidently fight for your case. Handling personal injury cases after a car crash is one of our specialties at Block, Klukas, Manzella & Shell. We want to help you secure the financial compensation to which you are rightfully entitled.
Don’t contact your car insurance company first. Contact our law firm to get the justice you deserve. Your initial consultation with our car accident or personal injury lawyer is free, and we’re paid only when there’s a monetary recovery of funds.
Time is of the essence, and we urge you not to delay. If you’ve been involved in a serious vehicular accident, contact Block, Klukas, Manzella & Shell today, and allow us to be your advocate.
