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As you already know, each state in the US has different laws and regulations, and the same can be said about Kansas. So, if you found yourself in an unfortunate situation where you got involved in a car accident in this particular state, you should know that there are several mistakes that you must avoid making.
Making such mistakes can cause you a lot of legal problems, which is why you may be wondering what they are and what you’ll need to do in order to avoid them. Well, you’re lucky since this is exactly what we’ll discuss in the article below, so, without further ado, here are the top seven legal pitfalls to avoid in the event of a collision:
1. Not Working With The Police And First Responders
If you ask a Kansas City auto accident attorney, they’ll inform you that it’s completely counterproductive to argue with the person or people affected by the accident. Instead, you must do everything in your power to remain calm and wait for the police and first responders to arrive. Once they arrive at the location of the incident, you must be entirely cooperative with them, otherwise, you may have issues.
To avoid such problems with the law enforcement on the scene, you must answer every single question that they might have, and don’t speculate anything, nor should you share your opinion, instead, stick to what actually happened before and after the accident. Also, you must make sure that you don’t say anything to them that might cause them to believe that you’re to blame for the event, hence, stay calm and be honest.
2. Declining Medical Assistance
If someone already called emergency medical services, you shouldn’t decline their help, instead, you should allow them to check you out and take care of your wounds – if applicable. Also, if anyone else involved in the collision got hurt, you must immediately contact 911. If you don’t feel like anything is wrong with you, you must still see a doctor, especially since some injuries might take more time to appear.
Once the paramedics take a look at you, you’ll probably receive a report of your condition and you must ensure that you keep that report with you at all times, mostly because every car accident attorney in Kansas City will need that document for making the legal proceedings. Additionally, if you did get wounded, ensure that you save all the documents about your therapy and the medicine you gave to take since this will help during the legal proceedings.
3. Not Taking Pictures And Videos of The Scene
This is, perhaps, one of the mistakes a lot of individuals make – failing to document the scene once they get themselves in an auto accident. Hence, if you aren’t injured and if your phone wasn’t damaged, you must take pictures and record videos of the surroundings. This indicates that you need to photograph the position of your automobile and the damage it took. If there are any skid marks, take pictures of them as well.
You should know, that if anything in the surrounding area got damaged – such as a fire hydrant, a mailbox, or a street sign – take pictures of those things as well since doing so can support your lawsuit in the future. Additionally, you must ensure that you take pictures of your wounds, no matter how small or large they are. If you wish to learn what type of collision you got yourself into, check out https://www.royceinjurylawyers.com/personal-injury/car-accidents/.
4. Not Getting The Contact Info of The Other Side
As we mentioned, you mustn’t argue with the other side, nor should you be impolite. If you behave badly, you might end up not getting the info you’ll require later on. Thus, be polite to the other person and ask them to exchange names, numbers, as well as insurance and license info. If the police arrived at the scene, they’ll gather this information instead of you, which is why you must ensure that you ask them for a report.
It’s worth mentioning that you must also gather the contact information of any person that saw the event or that was in the other car once the accident occurred. By doing so, you could assure that you have witnesses that’ll testify in case you find yourself in court. Also, calling your car accident lawyer, Kansas City, MO, could assist you quite a lot, which leads us to the next point in this article…
5. Not Calling Your Lawyer And Insurance Company
Another mistake that you could end up making is not calling your lawyer once you get into an automobile accident. Why do you need to do this? Well, contacting your attorney can help you quite a lot, mostly because they might inform you on what you must do. Also, neglecting to contact your insurance provider within a day of the collision can cause a lot of legal problems for you, thus, ensure that you inform them of what has happened too!
6. Not Obtaining Reports From The Scene
The police will most likely arrive at the scene shortly after the accident occurred. During the time they spend with you, they’ll gather info on the event, take pictures of the scene, and they’ll also gather information about everyone involved. If this happens, you must guarantee that you obtain the authorized report from them, mostly because it can prove to be quite beneficial in your insurance and legal matters in the future.
7. Making The Event Public
If there is one piece of advice that you must remember from this article, it’s the fact that you must stay off social media platforms. Why? It’s simple to understand – a lot of individuals lost their car accident cases because they’ve posted pictures of it on social media platforms, which the other side can use against your claim. Hence, don’t post anything about the incident on such sites, mostly because the other side can argue that you were hurt badly.
Conclusion
If you find yourself engaged in an automobile accident, you must ensure that you avoid making the mistakes we’ve mentioned in the list above. By doing so, you’ll guarantee that you could actually make a legal claim, but more importantly, you’ll ensure that you obtain all the information needed to settle your case.
Since you’re now well aware of what you shouldn’t do in case you find yourself involved in such an event, you should lose any more of your free time. Instead, if you haven’t already, start searching for an auto accident attorney, Kansas City so that they can provide you with advice on the steps you should take.