Time can seem to be moving too fast or too slow if you’ve been involved in a car accident.
For most victims, the biggest dilemma is choosing whether to seek immediate medical attention or square it out with the insurance company first. Some involved motorists may also decide to drive off, particularly if the accident results in no severe vehicle damage or bodily injuries.
But no matter the outcome of an auto crash, there’s always a price to pay for the liable party. Understanding your legal rights is key in navigating the aftermath of these unpleasant roadway incidents.
Here’s a comprehensive list of what to do after a car accident in Las Vegas.
1) Stop Your Car
Car accidents in Las Vegas can take on varied forms, including rollovers, head-on collisions, broadsidings, etc.
No matter the nature of the crash, any professional Las Vegas car accident attorney would recommend stopping your vehicle immediately.
Driving away from the collision site may cause you to lose critical pieces of evidence like skid marks. It also portrays you as the at-fault party, determined to escape liability.
2) Scope for Injuries
After stopping your vehicle, quickly check yourself and other occupants for physical injuries.
Blood splatter on the car seat or windshield is a clear indication of grievous bodily harm. Take note of such, but do not contaminate the evidence.
Other ways to scope for injuries include gently tilting your neck, swinging your arms, and shaking your legs. The idea is to determine whether you’ve fractured a bone or sustained a soft tissue injury.
You might also want to take a deep breath to assess for signs of thoracic stress.
3) Extricate the Vehicle
If you can feel your hands, slowly undo the seatbelt and smash a side window using your vehicle’s window breaker tool. Most of these devices have blade accessories for ripping through jammed seat belts.
Now, gently egress the vehicle and stand a safe distance away. This minimizes further injuries caused by secondary factors like explosions and collisions with oncoming traffic.
However, thoroughly assessing your injuries is crucial to uncover whether you can extricate the vehicle. Be sure to seek assistance if need be.
4) Contact Your Lawyer
When you finish the preliminaries, contact your Las Vegas car accident attorney. Inform them of the nature of the crash and your present location.
Car accident lawyers play an instrumental role in evidence gathering. They’re professionally trained to collect, document, and store critical evidence to win personal injury lawsuits.
Your auto accident lawyer will also help to interpret the applicable statute of limitations for car accident injuries. In Nevada, that would be two years from the incident date.
Moreover, you need a car accident attorney to handle all correspondence with your insurance company. This is particularly recommended to avoid making self-incriminating statements.
5) Call 911
911 should be the next number to dial after getting involved in a car accident in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Not only does calling 911 ensure that all injured victims receive prompt medical attention. It can also corroborate your story during the claims process, especially while reviewing a timeline of events following the auto crash.
Inform 911 of the accident’s location, the scope of injuries you’ve sustained, the number and type of automobiles involved, and if there are any fatalities.
6) Notify Your Insurance Company
Notifying your insurance company after an auto accident is highly recommended, even if the vehicle sustains no damage.
Bring your auto insurer up to speed on the nature and gravity of the collision. However, exercise due caution to avoid taking liability or making potentially self-incriminating statements.
Especially veering off conversations on a possible settlement with the insurance company. Your Las Vegas attorney is better placed to handle such negotiations.
7) Gather Evidence
Don’t wait for your car accident attorney to get to the crash scene. Instead, gather as much evidence as possible before the scene is possibly contaminated.
Use your smartphone to photograph and video footage of critical details, such as vehicle skid marks and tire treads.
Be sure also to capture the extent of your injuries and the scope of your vehicle’s damage.
Other critical pieces of evidence (such as the brake conditions, call logs, dashcam footage, and black box records of involved vehicles) would be better documented by your attorney.
8) Take Witness Statements
If there are bystanders who saw the entire ordeal unfold and are willing to testify, approach them and politely request to take their statements.
To validate each statement, you’ll need to note the witnesses’ official names and contact information.
It’s best if you can convince more than a single individual to testify. Establishing consistency in multiple witness accounts makes it easier to build a compelling case for compensation.
Besides, it’s recommended that witnesses’ statements be taken immediately. Some accident scenes can remain active for several hours, during which initial bystanders may have forgotten crucial details or may no longer be available to record a statement.
9) Exchange Vital Information With Other Drivers
Las Vegas roads are a hotbed of hit-and-run accidents. To ensure the liable driver answers for their negligence, you’ll need to secure their vital information.
Start by photographing the other vehicle’s license plate number and insurance company. Next, walk up to the driver and request their official identification documents, then capture their names and addresses.
However, only request such information if the other driver is mentally disposed to share it. Do not trouble them if they’re severely injured or still disoriented.
Remember to share your details as well.
10) Seek Medical Treatment
Whether a car accident causes multiple bone fractures or minor scrapes, it’s imperative to seek urgent medical attention. Visit the nearest healthcare facility for proper diagnosis.
The first round of screening will focus on common car accident physical injuries, such as whiplash, bruises, lacerations, and broken bones. You’ll then be checked for internal injuries, including traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Note that it doesn’t matter if these diagnostic tests uncover nothing serious and you’re discharged without treatment. Your lawyer will still use the billing records to solidify your claims case.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been involved in a car accident, knowing your legal rights as a policyholder is crucial.
Taking proper steps after an auto collision in Las Vegas can help gather the evidence to establish the at-fault party and negotiate a fair settlement.
Remember that you don’t need to be a victim of a grisly road carnage to implement the above pointers. Each auto crash involves a significant degree of loss, including often unquantifiable ones like emotional trauma.
