Car Accident in El Monte: Take Action with These 6 Steps

Car accidents are common in El Monte, California. Unfortunately, many people who are involved in car accidents have no idea what to do next. Unless you take the proper steps following a car accident, you may put your health and your financial recovery at risk. At Glotzer & Leib, LLP, we have over 20 years of experience helping car accident victims obtain the financial compensation they deserve. In this article, we explain six important steps to take following a car accident in El Monte.

Step #1: Seek Medical Help

After you’ve been involved in a car accident, you should immediately seek medical help—even if you don’t think you’ve been injured. Often, injuries following a car accident are readily apparent. Some injury symptoms, however, can take days or even weeks to present themselves. Therefore, regardless of how you feel following an accident, it’s a good idea to get checked out by a healthcare professional. After all, when it comes to your health, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. In addition, a failure on your part to seek prompt medical attention can later be used against you by the other party’s insurance company.

Step #2: Call the Police

Unless you are unable to do so due to your injuries, you should call law enforcement after you are involved in a car accident. This step usually goes hand in hand with the previous one, as the police will alert medical personnel if you were injured in the accident. When you call the police, you should provide the operator with the following information in addition to your exact location:

• Whether there are any injured parties: If it is immediately apparent that people have suffered injuries in the accident, let the operator know.
• Whether the accident scene itself is dangerous: You should alert the 911 operator to any obvious dangers at the scene, such as leaking fuel, downed power lines, or traffic issues.

In addition to being helpful for medical purposes, when you call the police, the officer who arrives at the scene will conduct a preliminary investigation and record what he or she observes, speak to involved parties and witnesses, analyze the accident scene, assess vehicle damage, and make a preliminary determination of fault. All of this information will be useful down the road in your car accident claim.

Step #3: Report the Accident to Your Insurance Company (But Beware of Other Insurance Agents)

Your auto insurance policy is a binding contract between you and your insurance company. When you get into an accident, your insurance company agrees to protect you. However, you also have obligations under the contract. One of these obligations is letting your insurance company know when you’ve been in an accident. However, until you’ve consulted an El Monte car accident attorney, you shouldn’t provide any information to your insurance company other than the basic details of your accident. In addition, you should never speak to the other party’s insurance company about your accident. The other insurance company may do everything in its power to avoid providing you with a fair settlement, and any information you share can be used against you. Therefore, don’t communicate with the other party’s insurance company unless advised to do so by your attorney.

Step #4: Gather Evidence

Following a car accident, the more evidence you can gather, the better. The evidence you gather will be especially helpful if you decide to file a personal injury lawsuit. Information you should attempt to collect following a car accident in El Monte includes:

• Contact information for all drivers and passengers involved in the accident, including each party’s full name, home and business addresses, telephone number and email address, date of birth, and driver license number.
• Statements from witnesses detailing what they saw, who was involved, who caused the accident, when the accident took place, and other related information.
• Photographs and video of the accident scene, your injuries, the vehicles involved in the crash, and anything else that you think may be useful in your case.
• Records related to car repairs and car rentals.
• Medical records documenting your injuries and treatment. 
• Financial records documenting all costs associated with your car accident.

Step #5: Record the Details of Your Accident

You should record all the details of your accident that you can recall. Importantly, you should do this as soon after the accident as possible, as it becomes more difficult to remember the details of a car accident as time goes by. However, you shouldn’t share these details with anyone except your attorney. Examples of details you should record include:

• Weather conditions at the time of the accident
• What you observed before, during, and after the accident
• Who was involved in the accident
• What caused the accident

Step #6: Contact an El Monte Car Accident Lawyer

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you should contact an El Monte car accident attorney as soon as possible following a car accident in El Monte, California. Without an experienced attorney in your corner, it can be extremely difficult to succeed with your car accident claim. When you hire an attorney, however, you drastically improve your odds of success. At Glotzer & Leib, LLP, we understand what it takes to help you obtain financial compensation for your El Monte car accident injuries. When you come to us for assistance, El Monte car accident lawyer Joshua Glotzer will guide you through the steps above to ensure that you have the best possible chance at success in your El Monte car accident case. In addition, we handle our personal injury cases on a contingency basis—so, if we don’t win, you don’t pay. If you are ready to begin the recovery process, please contact us today to schedule a free consultation.