Miami Lakes is famous for its beautiful parks, great neighborhood schools, and its many bodies of water. It’s been a fantastic community for many families through the years, offering a safe haven to have a home and raise kids. The majority of Miami Lakes citizens are diligent, careful, and considerate, but even if most drivers on the roads of Miami Lakes are safe, accidents can still happen. All it takes is for one person to make a wrong decision or to take their eyes off the road for a second.

When you’ve been in an auto accident, knowing what to do next is invaluable. 1-800VINCENT wants everybody to know what to do once they have been in a car accident, so everyone is in the best position possible to get the compensation that they deserve. If you’ve just been in an accident and want to know what to do, stay calm and read through the following steps.

Stay at the Scene

If you’re still at the scene of the accident, you must stay there. If you flee the car crash scene, you will be breaking the law, and in doing so, you will look more guilty of negligence than a party who stays at the scene and calls the police.

When an accident occurs, you should try to stop your car as quickly as possible. If you’re feeling unsafe and can move your car, try to do so and look to pull over on the side of the road. You should make sure that you stay as close to the scene of the accident as is safe to do so. Make sure you turn on your hazard warning lights, so others on the road are aware.

Call 911

It is Florida State law to call the police as soon as possible after a car accident. That means you need to phone 911 immediately, even if the other party who is involved in the accident requests that you hold off on notifying them. It is the law to call the police after an accident, no matter how minor you might think it is and even if nobody seems to be hurt.

The police will arrive at the scene and file a report. They may even issue a ticket or warning if they think that a driver was clearly at fault. They will ask you for your account of the events leading up to the crash; make sure that you do not admit any blame until you have consulted your accident attorney and know how to respond to their inquisition.  

Seek Medical Treatment

If you or anyone who was travelling in your car feels any pain after an accident, you should seek medical care from a doctor, hospital, urgent care facility or specialist as soon as possible. If you have experienced any serious injuries from the crash or see somebody who has, call an ambulance immediately.

If you feel minor pain or discomfort, you should try to seek medical treatment as soon as possible, because this can be a sign of a personal injury that can worsen as time goes on.

It’s very important that you don’t put off seeking help, as if you are not able to obtain medical treatment within 14 days of the accident, you will not be in the window set out by Florida’s insurance laws and you will not be as eligible for compensation for medical treatment and future medical bills from your insurance.

Collect Evidence

The more evidence you can collect at the scene, the easier it will be for your car accident lawyer in Miami Lakes to work with you to present a strong insurance claim. The evidence that you collect can include:

• Contact information of drivers involved
• Insurance details of the other parties involved in the auto accident
• Details of other cars involved, including license plates, color and make and model of the cars
• Photos of the scene of the accident
• Photos of the property damage caused by the accident (your vehicle and the other party’s)
• Information of the driving conditions, e.g., weather conditions, amount of traffic
• Contact information for any eyewitnesses at the scene
• Details of surrounding businesses – your accident lawyer might later contact these businesses for CCTV footage

Make sure you look to collect all these forms of evidence, as well as writing or recording your account of what happened while it is still fresh in your mind.

Call 1-800VINCENT

Call 1-800VINCENT as soon as possible after your accident. When you call us today, we will give you a completely free consultation, during which we will ask you questions about your accident until our team have a full picture. We will then use the details you provide us with to match you with your case’s most suitable lawyer.

Our lawyer referral service has an extensive network of accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers, which means we can pair you with the perfect lawyer for your exact circumstance. Once you’re paired with appropriate legal counsel, your new car accident attorney in Miami Lakes will go to work fighting for your settlement and will be there to assist you with any questions you might have.