What should I do after an accident?

Legal help after a car accident in West Palm Beach / Palm BeachGardens / Belle Glade / Ft.Lauderdale

Accidents happen, and even if you’ve been in one before, it’s hard to know what to do to ensure you get the medical care you need and get reimbursed for your expenses or property damage.

Contact the Law Office of John M. Howe in West Palm Beach to learn about your options after a car accident. Contact us via our online for or by calling 561-296-7772 or toll free at 866-930-2938.

Attorney John M. Howe represents people who have suffered physical injuries and incurred financial losses in car accidents, truck accidents or motorcycle accidents. Our primary concerns are for your well-being, for proper damage assessment, and for ensuring your financial recovery.

Don’t worry about who got the ticket

After the accident, the police quickly review the evidence and make an off-the-cuff decision about who was at fault. But police often don’t have the time to look at the scene in detail. That’s our job as your personal injury attorney.

We don’t take the police officers’ word for it. We do our own examination, with the help of a professional investigator. So don’t worry about that ticket. It does not necessarily mean you were at fault.

What you do immediately after a car accident can help or hurt your chances for financial recovery. Be sure to keep this list in your car and do the following:

• Damage assessment Take photos of damage and the accident scene, if you can. Use your cell phone if you need to as even lower-quality photos are better than no photos.
• Call the police Don’t accept that the other person will call if he or she says she will call or if you get an offers of cash if you don’t report the accident. You need an accident report from a police officer in order to file a claim.
• Get contact information Get names, addresses and phone numbers of witnesses. Compile a list of anyone—in or out of your car or any other witnesses to what happened.
• Go to the hospital If you have any type of head injury or even if you feel your injuries are minor, it is important to be seen by a physician. There may be internal issues that are not obvious. Also, discomfort can occur a few days after the accident so an original assessment is important to see how an injury progresses.
• Write it all down Keep notes on anything related to the accident such as time off work, lost wages, visits to the doctor and rehabilitation equipment you have to buy. These may be reimbursable but certainly only if you keep accurate records.
• Keep copies Make copies of everything and keep them all in one place. When you come to the Law Office of John M. Howe, we’ll give you a folder where you can put everything related to your case.
• Call us first Don’t speak to anyone from the insurance company before calling a lawyer. You may say something that will later be used against you. Be skeptical of their damage assessment. Although adjustors sound friendly and helpful, their job is to minimize the amount of money you receive.
• Make no statements Don’t give any recorded or unrecorded statements to your insurance or the other company. Talk to an attorney first so you can be properly prepared.
• Need a referral If you’re having problems getting medical care or a proper diagnosis, ask us for help. We have an extensive referral network of doctors and medical specialists all over the state of Florida.

To learn more about your rights after a car accident, contact the Law Office of John M. Howe in West Palm Beach. Call us at 561-296-7772 or toll free at 866-930-2938.