SPECIAL REPORT: What is the Impact of Proposition 213 on Car Accident Victims?

What To Do If You Are Injured in a Car Accident

What To Do Immediately

• Take care of your injuries and get medical care.
• Take pictures of wounds, bandages, bruises, casts, hospital room and other evidence of injury.
• Take pictures of the accident scene and anything that may possibly be relevant.
• Gather the name, address, license number and phone number of all witnesses.

What To Do Next

• Charge all medical expenses to whatever medical insurance coverage you have.
• Write down your symptoms and what you are feeling each day.
• Avoid tow-yard storage fees by getting your car as quickly as you can.
• If you are too injured to work, tell your employer and document time off work.
• Open a claim with the other driver's insurance company.

Important!

• Do not speak to insurance adjusters or give any statements (other than to the police) until you talk with a lawyer.
• Do not sign any liens or releases of information without talking to an attorney.
• Get a free case evaluation by filling out the form above or call 1-800-561-4887

More Information

Take care of your injuries and obtain medical care. Write down your symptoms: what you have been feeling and experiencing. Don't exaggerate.

Make arrangements to pay for your medical care. Use your medical insurance if you have it. If you do not have health insurance, make sure to find out what public programs may exist in your area to help you with those expenses.

Do not sign a "doctor's lien" against your claims unless you have no other way to pay for your care. Keep in mind that you are responsible for the payment of the cost of your medical treatment.

To avoid tow-yard storage fees, take control of your car as quickly as you can. Call your auto insurance agent or company, open a claim and follow your adjuster's instructions about getting your car to a repair shop. You also want to avoid a "lien sale" in which you give up your car to the tow yard as payment for storage. Help your property damage adjuster get an estimate of the costs of repair so that your car can be back on the road as soon as possible.

Make arrangements for transportation while you are without your car. It is important that you have transportation so that you can get to work and your medical appointments. Use a second car, borrow a car or rent a car. If you have "rental reimbursement" coverage under your auto insurance policy, ask if your company will permit "direct bill" payment for a rental.

If you are too injured to work, inform your employer and ask them to document the time you miss from work. If your employer requires it, obtain a doctor's note for your absence.

Open a claim with the other driver's insurance company. Be informative and cooperative, but be careful about what you say in response to questions from the adjuster. Find out the available coverage for property damage and bodily injury. Do not share personal information other than your address, phone, driver's license, and auto insurance.

If you feel at all uncomfortable about the questions being asked or in giving a statement if requested, decline the invitation to respond and, if necessary, terminate that portion of the conversation. Seriously consider refusing any request by the other driver's insurance company for a recorded or a written statement until you have discussed your case with an attorney.

Verify the terms of your own insurance coverage. If you cannot find the "declarations page" from your most current policy renewal, verify its terms with your agent or adjuster.

Determine whether you have (1) rental reimbursement, (2) "collision" related property damage coverage, (3) medical payments, and (4) uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Ask your agent or assigned adjuster to explain the terms of your coverage, how to present a claim, and the time limits (if any) for the presentation of a claim.

If you are seriously injured, or you are having difficulty obtaining the appropriate cooperation of the other driver's insurance company to pay you fair compensation, consider hiring an attorney to advise and represent you. This may be the most critical step to getting fair and full compensation for your damages.

Get a free case evaluation or call 800-561-4887 for award-winning Orange County & Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyers in your area.

Be on the Hit-and-Run Lookout

BISNAR | CHASE, in conjunction with WeTip, a leading anonymous crime reporting service and law enforcement advocacy non-profit organization, is launching a program intended to wipe out hit-and-runs in the state of California by offering rewards for tips leading to the arrest and felony conviction of hit-and-run drivers. See Hit-and-Run Reward for more details.

BISNAR | CHASE 2006-2010 Super Lawyers names outstanding lawyers from more than 60 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. BISNAR | CHASE has received this award for five consecutive years. Brian Chase was named one of the 2010 Top 50 Orange County Lawyers.