Calling 911 After an Accident Can Help Your Claim
The aftermath of a car accident can be a perplexing and confusing time especially when you have suffered an injury. One should never hesitate to call the authorities when involved in a collision. Calling 911 after an accident actually is in your best interests contrary to popular belief. There are many ways that calling the police can help especially when it comes to seeking compensation for injuries you may have sustained.
Those that have suffered injuries as a result of car accidents may be able to take legal action against those at fault for their injuries. A party at fault for an accident could have been negligent and be liable for the damages that you suffered. Calling the police will factor into your car accident claim and how the insurance company may view the accident and your credibility.
Police at an Accident Scene Can Help in More Ways Than You Think
Police Can Assist Drivers in Exchanging Information
After an accident takes place one of the most important things to do is get the information of all the drivers involved in the collision. This information is essential in order to make any claim that will help compensate you for damages that you suffered. A police officer can help to facilitate this exchange of information and even prepare an exchange of information report to document that all involved parties exchanged information.
Police Reports can Help you Down the Line
One of the most useful things a police officer can do at the scene of an accident is to prepare a police report of the accident. This documentation can prove very useful down the line since it can contain all kinds of useful information from a credible source. A police report will take note of the make and model of the cars involved as well as the state of their owners in terms of injury, whether they were intoxicated the damage to the vehicles as well as any injuries to those involved in the accident. A police report will also have any eyewitnesses and even their testimonies when it came to what they saw of the accident which provides additional insight into who is at fault and therefore liable.
One of the most useful things in a police report is the officer’s determination of who was at fault for the accident. This can prove invaluable when it comes to determining who is liable for injuries after the accident when people involved are seeking compensation.
A Police Officer can Detail Injuries You Suffered at the Scene
When a police officer arrives at the scene of an accident their immediate concern is the wellbeing of all those involved. They will often be the first person to see an accident victim’s injuries and are responsible for doing all in their power to stabilize them. A police officer’s testimony when it comes to their observations of a plaintiff’s injuries can hold a great deal of weight in a car accident claim down the line.
Police Officers can Serve as Witnesses in Court
A police officer can be a valuable resource when a case makes it to trial since they can be used as a witness whose testimony holds a great deal of credibility. An officer can offer their eyewitness testimony or offer their opinion on who is at fault based on what they saw at the scene of the accident. Insurance companies may mount a defense that attacks the credibility of a plaintiff’s claims and may even blame the plaintiff as the cause for the accident which a police officer that was on the scene can help clear up.
A Police Officer can follow up With a Plaintiff After an Accident
After an accident, a police officer may follow up with someone involved. They may either visit them in the hospital if they suffered a severe injury or at home in order to fill in some blanks in their police report. They can ask questions and build a better image of what exactly happened when it comes to how the accident occurred and who caused it which undoubtedly can prove useful when seeking compensation through a car accident claim.
Consider Eberst Law For Your Car Accident Claim
The best thing you can do when you are severely injured in a car accident is to seek a lawyer experienced in car accident injury claims. You technically could pursue a claim on your own but the odds of you successfully navigating the many pitfalls of insurance tricks and the legal process is greatly diminished. Insurance companies have everything they need to successfully deny a claim; as that is their goal since profits are their main priority. Insurance companies have the experience, personnel, resources, lawyers, and money to fight a claim to any extent necessary. If it turns into a “who can withstand the storm longer” type of situation, the answer will always be the insurance company when competing against an injured victim on their own.
It doesn’t cost you anything to get an injury attorney to look at your case. Likewise, car accident lawyers don’t cost anything out of your pocket since they work on a contingency fee basis. This means they take a percentage of the settlement once the claim is seen through and don’t get paid at all if the injury victim doesn’t recover financial compensation. You or your loved one are likely significantly injured if you are even considering hiring a car accident attorney in the first place. So you should focus on your recovery while a professional works to maximize your settlement with the insurance companies and courts.
If you have been injured in a car accident in the Stuart, Florida or Gainesville, Florida area, contact the experienced personal injury team at The Eberst Law Firm. We are ready to handle your case. You can contact us online or call
Stuart, Florida Office
101 SE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Stuart, FL 34994
Gainesville, Florida Office
716 E. University Avenue
Gainesville, FL 32601