When it comes to safety and legal soundness after a car accident, plenty of advice is out there—in fact, we’ve written a whole blog on the subject: “I Just Got in a Car Accident — What Should I Do?” Just as important as knowing what to do, though, is knowing what not to do. Making a mistake in the immediate time period after crashing your vehicle can greatly affect your ability to recover damages—-not to mention compromise your safety.
Rest assured that you don’t need to walk on eggshells, though; you just need to know a few rules of thumb. JD Haas, your Minneapolis team of car crash injury lawyers, is here to describe them below.
Don’t Admit Fault
If you’re an apologetic person or one to tends to cope with stress with sorrys, you’ll need to bite your tongue after a car accident. Never admit fault, even if you’re sure you should take the blame, even if the other driver is royally peeved, and even if you think that your fault should be obvious.
There are quite a few reasons that you should decline to make judgement on the situation, one being that adrenaline and potential bodily trauma can mean that your reasoning and memory is clouded, potentially making what you say irreflective of reality. Doing so also can lead to major snarls in the insurance and legal processes; your policy, for example, may be affected if you deem yourself to blame. Legally, you might sacrifice any chances of recovering damages.
Don’t Pressure the Other Driver Into Admitting Fault
Why? Because, again, you can’t be sure. Your view of the accident was only from your vehicle; a personal injury attorney has yet to collect evidence and get to the bottom of the case. Plus, given that you both may have sustained injuries, sound reasoning may be out the window. Simply exchange insurance info with the other driver after making sure both you and they can get medical help.
Don’t get Caught Unprepared
A working vehicle safety kit that includes first-aid supplies is critical to have in your car. Though you always want to seek prompt medical attention for post-accident injuries, such attention cannot happen instantaneously; you’ll have to call for it or drive there. First aid kits can mean the difference between life and death for someone you love.
Check out this article from FirstAidAnywhere.com for a list of what yours should contain.
JD Haas: Personal Injury Lawyers who Care
Work with a team of compassionate car crash injury attorneys who are ready to hear your story. Give JD Haas’s Minneapolis office a call today at 952-345-1025. In addition to Minneapolis, we also serve Bloomington, Rochester, and Saint Paul.