The moments, hours, and days immediately following a car wreck can be followed by overwhelm and confusion. You may be concerned about things like injuries, missing work, substitute transportation, and how to pay for medical bills. We compiled this information to help answer your questions and provide you with some important information to consider following an accident.
What to Do After a Car Wreck
- Call 911. If you’re involved in a car wreck, call 911 to report the wreck. They will probably ask you questions about your location, the people involved, and any injuries. They will then place requests to emergency responders as needed. These might include local police departments, the highway patrol, EMS, and the fire department. If you end up hiring a personal injury attorney to represent you, your attorney may contact 911 later to request a copy of the call recording. This recording can be useful as evidence in case there are disputes about who was at fault or your injuries.
- Get Medical Treatment Right Away. Immediately following a wreck, you may feel more scared than anything else; however, even if you do not feel immediate pain, you may still be injured. Adrenaline tends to take over in those moments immediately following a wreck, and the pain sometimes does not appear until hours later. Additionally, head injuries can sometimes be overlooked initially as well. A head injury can result in ongoing headaches and confusion. If you have a headache or confusion immediately following a wreck, you may think it’s temporary and normal after such a terrifying event – and it might be – but it could also be a sign of something more significant. It is important to have any immediate pain complaints documented and evaluated by first responders at the scene of the accident, and equally important to be evaluated at the hospital, urgent care, you’re your regular doctor’s office as soon as possible.
- Preserve Evidence. Evidence consists of things like witness names and phone numbers, videos, and photos of the scene, the vehicles, and your injuries. Make sure you hold onto any evidence. The insurance company for the other driver will be trying to protect themselves and pay out as little as possible. In North Carolina, if they can convince a jury that you were even 1% at fault, you will not be able to recover any money damages for your injuries! This is known as contributory negligence. Because of this, it is important to make sure you can clearly show who was at fault for the wreck, and the evidence can help you do that. If you decide to hire a personal injury attorney, your attorney will help you identify, collect, and preserve the evidence.
- Get a free consultation. Most personal injury attorneys offer free consultations. If you’ve been injured in a car wreck in North Carolina, we recommend contacting a North Carolina personal injury attorney so you can learn more about the claims process, how injury claims work, what to expect, and your legal rights and options. Look for an attorney who has experience with car wreck cases. You will also want to find a firm that is responsive, compassionate, and professional. Most car wreck attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means that they do not get paid unless they recover money for you. The contingency fee for most firms is between 33% and 40%.
We Can Help.
At Burton Law Firm, we understand what our clients go through after a car wreck. We know how overwhelming and scary it can be. That’s why we offer free consultations and, if you hire us, we walk with you every step of the way. If you or someone you know was injured in a car wreck, give us a call. We’ll take the time to answer your questions, discuss your legal rights and options, and help you protect your future.