Minor Car Accident in Houston? Here’s What You Need to Do
Overview
You’re in the car on your way to work or school and suddenly you hit traffic. Great, another car accident. People in Houston get into car accidents all the time. We don’t think anything of it until we’re the one involved in the crash; then we’re forced to stress over what to do after a minor car accident.
Most Car Accidents Aren’t Serious
The good news is most car accidents don’t cause extremely serious injuries. Most people are lucky enough to walk away from the car accident with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises. Some people may even prefer to get their car fixed by paying out of pocket rather than reporting the accident to their insurance company.
What You Should do After a Car Accident?
Regardless of how you choose to go about getting your damages fixed, there are still definite things you should do following the incident. An accident may seem minor at first, masking any possible serious injuries that may have occurred. It could take days or even weeks before you become conscious that you’ve been severely hurt from that minor car accident.
Post-Accident there are a few things you need to do—even after a minor car accident:
- Call the Police
- Take Pictures
- Go to the hospital
- Call an EXPERIENCED car accident lawyer
“9.1.1. What’s Your Emergency…”?
Call the Police
After checking to make sure that you’re okay, you need to call the police. Your adrenaline will be rushing, and your mind might be all over the place. Despite the self- check you performed, you never really know how bad the accident really is.
Avoid Talking or Exchanging Information With Other Driver
You have no way of being sure that the other driver will stick around for the exchange of information or take off. Either way, you don’t want to talk to the other driver or exchange information without the police present. You could say something about the car accident that could hurt your case. The adrenaline rush and mixed thoughts may cause you to admit that you were partially responsible for the car accident when you really weren’t.
Do Not Accept an Offer to Repair Your Damages
Sometimes the other driver will offer to pay for your repairs if you refrain from calling the police and agree to go your separate ways. DO NOT agree to this. If you have to file a claim, later on, your Houston car accident lawyer will need that police report. There is valuable information in the police report that your Houston car accident lawyer can’t get on their own.
A Picture is Only Worth 1000 Words if You Take Them
At this point in the car accident, you should treat yourself as a professional photographer. If possible, take pictures of the car accident scene and any vehicle damage to your vehicle and the other driver’s vehicle. Remember, angles mean everything when trying to recall a story to someone who was not there to experience it firsthand. Photographing visible injuries, if any, should be done as well. If for some reason you cannot take pictures while at the scene of the car accident, take them as soon as possible afterward.
It Didn’t Hurt at First
With all of the adrenaline running through your body, post-accident you may feel completely fine. Think of car accident injuries like your first day back at the gym. You may not feel the pain right after the workout, but the next day you feel the pain that reminds you why you stopped working out.
It could be days before you start to feel pain from the car accident. Your lawyer will tell you to go to the hospital promptly following your car accident.
Medical Tests
The hospital will do a number of necessary tests to determine if you really have any injuries. As a precaution, the following tests will be performed:
- MRI
- CT Scan
- Physical Exam
- X-Ray
Your lawyer will need any notes and information your doctor makes regarding injuries from the car accident.
Where There’s A Will, There’s A Lawsuit
Whether the car accident is major or minor, it’s best to contact an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. The statute of limitations to file a civil suit is two years. That means from the date of your accident, the clock is ticking.
Call to speak with an experienced Houston car accident lawyer at Pusch & Nguyen Law Firm. You don’t have to face your car accident alone.
