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How to Respond If Involved in a Car Accident

Written by: Samuel Eugene Spital

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Posted over 3 years ago. Applies to California, 1 helpful vote, 0 comments

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Report The Accident to Law Enforcement and Your Insurance Company, Then Determine Other Follow-Up

If you have a serious or life threatening injury, you should be immediately taken to a hospital. If you have sustained a neck or back injury, you may not feel any pain until the following day, or even later. If you do notice pains in your back or neck, you probably need to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Obtaining a doctor's prescription for pain may only temporarily relieve some of the symptoms. It is often recommended that physcial therapy be initiated. If you do not get better in a short period of time, you should obtain a second (medical) opinion.

Increase Your Chances of Getting Remuneration for Your Case

You should obtain the advice from an attorney as early as possible after an accident. You should create a "diary" in which you log (1) what you cannot do; (2) what you are able to do, but with restrictions &/or increased symptoms; (3) the times during the day each of these conditions exist; (4) create a pain "scale" in which you rate how intense the pain is (0 being no pain and 10 being the most severe and debilitating pain). If you do not get better in a short period of time, the insurance company may send you for an independent medical evaluation (IME). The IME is sought to make sure you did in fact sustain injuries, to determine whether the injuries are as serious as you claim, to make sure the injuries were not caused by a previous accident, and/or to assess whether you are "malingering" (meaning you recovered long ago and are complaining about pain in order to collect more money). This process is voluntary prior to a lawsuit, but required once litigation is initiated.