Following a Car Accident in Florida

There are many important things that an individual should do following a car accident in West Palm Beach to ensure that they are in the best legal position moving forward. These steps are crucial to securing a strong case can be built on behalf of the injured individual.

To best understand what specific actions to take following a car accident in West Palm Beach, it is crucial to consult with an attorney as soon as possible. A knowledgeable West Palm Beach car accident lawyer can advise you on how to act to ensure your case is legally sound.

Contacting the Police

One of the most important things that an individual should do following a car accident in West Palm Beach is to call the police and have them come to the scene. The police will conduct an investigation and, while the police report is not admissible, it certainly provides a lot of information for the investigation of a claim.

If the police do come to the scene and they generate a report, the report is going to contain all of the information relating to the parties involved in the crash, including witnesses, whether the at-fault party or all the parties had auto insurance and, if so, the policy number. A lot of important information can be gathered from a police report.

Witnesses and passengers should take pictures of the accident. They could be important at a later date.

Seeking Medical Treatment

If a person suspects they might have an injury, that person should seek treatment immediately for a variety of reason. The injured person needs to be diagnosed and appropriately treated for any injuries as a result of the auto collision. With Florida’s current Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Law, if someone does not seek treatment within a certain period of time, that person may be barred from receiving the benefits of that Personal Injury Protection coverage under their own policy.

What is Personal Injury Protection?

With Florida’s current Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Law, if someone does not seek treatment within a certain period of time, that person may be barred from receiving the benefits of that Personal Injury Protection coverage under their own policy. For example, if an injured person does not seek treatment within the first 14 days after a crash, they could be barred entirely from receiving the available Personal Injury Protection benefit of up to $10,000.

If an individual seeks treatment in the first 14 days but their injuries are minor and further treatment is not deemed medically necessary, then their own insurance company can limit that individual’s Personal Injury Protection coverage to $2,500. An injured person would want to receive medical treatment as quickly as possible following a car accident in West Palm Beach.

Why does an Individual Need to Notify the Insurance Company Following a Car Accident?

It is important to make sure that an injured person does not do anything to avoid coverage under their or own policy, and to notify the insurance company for the other driver if they have insurance to preserve any and all evidence and to handle the claim so the injured party can receive just compensation for their injuries.

Mostly the attorney will protect the injured person so they are not taken advantage of by an insurance company.

Importance of Immediate Representation

An injured person should also contact an attorney quickly following a car accident in West Palm Beach. The reason for that is that evidence disappears, and accident scenes change over time due to things getting cleaned up and vehicles needing to be preserved depending on the severity of the crash. In dealing with a significant crash, an accident reconstruction needs to be done.

If an experienced personal injury attorney is not contacted immediately and/or the vehicles are not preserved immediately, those vehicles could be sold off for salvage, and when the other side points the finger or questions who is at fault, an accurate accident reconstruction may be much more difficult based solely on pictures.