1) Changing Radio Stations – Sure we agree it’s necessary when a radio station decides to play the same song you’ve heard a thousand times before and really didn’t care for it the first time you heard it. But wait until it’s safe to make the change.
2) Running out of gas, water, oil, washer fluid, coffee… Sure we know that it’s expensive to have these things, but cars and drivers don’t run very well without them.
3) Mattresses On The Road – Just who is dropping those mattresses all over the freeways anyway?
4) Pot Holes – It’s the people who cause these things and then don’t cover them up like their golf course divots. Still, they can be a real eye opener at times when you are sleepy, so we have to give them a little credit too. Not good for the car or the psyche, but they do cause people to slow down.
5) Speed Bumps – Now these are going too far. Especially the really really high ones.
6) Snow – We don’t see much of this in Southern California, but if it ever does snow really hard in Southern California, people are going to see thousands of accidents in a single day.
7) Rain – Sure we know it’s fun to slip and slide, but not in your car. Hydroplaning is not fun when your brakes have absolutely zero effect.
8) Cell phones – Somehow I don’t have the feeling that people are paying attention to the law that says you can only use these with hands free devices.
9) Personal Grooming – This hasn’t been outlawed yet so I think we will continue to see people doing almost all of the things in their car that they should do at home before getting in the car, except perhaps for taking showers.
10) Looking at pedestrians and other drivers. That’s why we see so much tinted glass on cars, but the pedestrians especially at the beach can be real distractions.
Here are ten useful tips of advice from an auto accident lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle an auto accident in Santa Monica, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learning how we can assist you.
Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it may have been a few hours since the accident. However, if you ever have another accident, or if it’s only been a few hours since you were hurt, here’s what you should do from the start.
First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.
Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.
Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.
Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.
Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.
Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.
Seventh, call a good auto accident attorney as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the lawyer can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good auto accident attorney can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good auto accident lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most auto accident lawyers advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.
Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.
Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.
Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.
If you’ve had an auto accident in Santa Monica, Long Beach, Carson, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, Cambria or San Luis Obispo, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Santa Monica Auto Accident Lawyer and your Long Beach Auto Accident Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.
If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learn how we can assist you.
R. Sebastian Gibson
Recent Comments