After being involved in an auto accident, where you were not the at-fault driver, you will want to make sure that you are taking all of the proper steps in order to protect yourself. Some of the things that you will want to do include the following.
Write Down Everything That You Recall
It is very important to make sure that you are writing down all of the accident details that you can remember. This is vital because over time, even over just a few short days, you could start to find that the details will become cloudy. Even if you think a small detail is not important, an attorney or insurance might think otherwise. Therefore, it is best to just write down everything that you remember, and then an attorney can take from your notes what he or she needs.
Talk With Witnesses
You will want to make sure that you are going to be able to get the assistance of all of the witnesses that you can. If there were not many witnesses, but the accident happened in front of some businesses, you will want to write down the names of those businesses. Request a copy of any video footage from their surveillance that might have captured some or all of the accident.
Hire An Attorney
You will want to make sure that you are hiring an attorney that has experience with auto accident cases. Even though any attorney can technically represent you in court, an auto accident attorney will be able to use his or her experience to help lead the outcome of your case in the right direction.
You will also want to schedule a few appointments with different attorneys so you can consult with them in order to ensure that you are hiring an attorney that will work well with you. Remember, there are usually time limits for the filing of lawsuits so you will want to get a quality attorney on the case as quickly as possible. The time limit you are facing will vary according to the state your auto accident happened in.
With those steps in mind, you will want to get this process started. The longer you wait, the harder it might be to get this case resolved in a manner that is most favorable to you. You will be glad that you have taken the time to do everything you can to improve your odds of having a successful case.