Car Accident Injury Checklist
Every year in Illinois, hundreds of thousands of people are involved in auto accidents. In 2017 alone, there were 311,679 motor vehicle crashes in Illinois, 21.5% of which were injury crashes. Almost 1,000 motor vehicle crashes in Illinois in 2017 were fatal.
While you may never be involved in a crash, with the high number of accidents that occur every year, it’s important to know what to do if the worst does occur and you experience an auto accident first hand.
Here are ten of the most important steps to follow if you’re involved or injured in a car accident in Chicago:
1) Turn Off the Car
The first step if you’re involved in a car accident is to move out of the way of traffic and stop your vehicle as soon as possible – it’s illegal to continue driving! You should stop the car, turn off the engine and switch the hazard lights on.
Following these three steps, even after a minor collision, will make sure that you’re following the law and keeping yourself, any passengers in your vehicle and other road users safe.
2) Check for Injuries
Your health and the safety of any passengers in your vehicle should be your top priority after an auto accident. Once you’ve stopped the car, you need to check yourself and anyone else in the vehicle for injuries. If you, a passenger or anyone else has been injured in the accident, call for ambulance as soon as you’re able to.
3) Call the Police
As well as calling for an ambulance, you’ll need to call the police after a car accident in Chicago. You should contact the police to file a police report even after a minor car accident. Depending on the severity of your accident and how busy the local police are, they may or may not visit the accident scene.
Informing the police of an accident and filing a report is helpful for your insurance claim and if you decide to file a lawsuit with the help of an auto accident attorney in Chicago.
4) Don’t Admit Fault
An important thing to bear in mind immediately after a car accident in Chicago is never to admit that you’re responsible for the crash. Admitting fault at the scene of the accident could harm your chances of a successful insurance claim. Where possible, only discuss the details of the accident with a lawyer, your insurance company and the authorities.
5) Exchange Details
While you shouldn’t talk about the accident details with other parties involved, you should still exchange contact details with them. Getting the name, address and contact details of other drivers involved in the accident is of the upmost importance!
6) Gather Information
As well as the contact details of other parties involved in the auto accident, there’s a lot of other information you should try to collect. The more information you can acquire after an accident, the better the position you’ll be in to make a claim.
You should try to obtain/record:
The company name and policy number of the other party’s insurance
A description of the other party’s vehicle, including the license plate number and registration details
The details of any witnesses
The details of the police officers who responded to the accident
A detailed account of what happened before and during the accident
The date, time and address of the accident
The direction that all vehicles involved in the accident were travelling
Details of the road conditions
7) Take Photos
Photos are also a very useful form of evidence to collect after a car accident. If possible, take photos of the accident scene, including the position of the vehicles and any damage sustained during the accident. Pictures of your injuries, road conditions, possible contributors to the accident and property damage can also be useful proof to have when filing an insurance or compensation claim.
8) Call Your Insurance
Another important thing to do after an auto accident is to call your insurer and inform them of the accident. You should do this as soon as possible – from the scene of the accident if you’re able to.
Your insurance company will walk you through what will need to happen next and how long you’ll have to make a claim. You may be required to make a claim within just a few days or weeks of the accident, so it’s important to contact your insurer quickly.
9) Keep Evidence of Expenses
After the accident, you should continue to gather evidence that’ll be of use for your insurance claim or if you decide to make a claim for personal injury compensation.
You should obtain/keep documents such as:
· The accident report
· Medical bills
· Communication from your insurance company
· Vehicle repair bills
· Car rental receipts
10) Get in Touch with a Chicago Auto Injury Attorney
An insurance claim may not cover everything after a car accident, such as pain, stress, lost income and the cost of your medical bills. The final step after a car accident to improve your chances of receiving owed compensation is to call a specialist car accident lawyer in Chicago, such as the experts at Wojcik Law.
The statute of limitations for car accident lawsuits in Illinois is just two years to claim damages for injuries and a minimum of one year, or sometimes up to two years, for wrongful death, so it’s best to get in touch with a car accident attorney as soon as possible after an accident! The sooner you contact a lawyer, the fresher the accident will be in your mind, which may also help your case.
An attorney at Wojcik Law in Chicago will evaluate the facts of the accident and help to determine whether you have a case for compensation. You may be entitled to compensation to cover losses if the other party was entirely or only partly at fault for the accident.
Car accidents can be a traumatic experience that may people aren’t prepared for. Knowing what to do beforehand and who to call can make the extremely stressful and worrying event much easier. For more information about what to do after a car accident in Chicago, and where you stand legally, contact Wojcik Law.