You were just involved in an automobile accident, now what? We understand that being involved in a motor vehicle accident, regardless of the severity of the impact, is almost always an extremely emotional and confusing time. Our Tampa Automobile Accident Attorneys are here to assist you and your loved ones who have been involved in a car crash. If you are able to remember a few very basic steps once you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, please try to remember the following:
Request a Police Report – You should ensure that you request a copy of the written Florida Traffic Crash Report from the responding/investigating officer. Although you may not always obtain a copy at the time of the accident depending upon the nature of the accident and the type of investigation being performed, it is very important to obtain the responding officer’s badge number.
Remain Silent!! — More than likely you be contacted by the other driver's insurance company within a day or two of the accident, if not hours. We believe it is extremely important that you do not allow the insurance company to take your written or recorded statement or even discuss your case with the insurance adjuster prior to speaking with us. You should know the insurance company's goal is to deny your claims or at least to pay as little as possible. The insurance companies have trained their adjusters to obtain information and ask questions in a certain way that shifts the blame upon you for the accident thereby allowing them to deny your claims.
Seek Medical Attention — It is extremely important that everyone involved in a motor vehicle accident, regardless of the severity of the impact, should immediately seek medical treatment. The local emergency room or even your family physician should be able to evaluate you right away. Obtaining a medical evaluation following a motor vehicle accident helps document your injuries but more importantly, it ensures you have not sustained a more serious injury that you may not be aware of. Lastly, when you obtain medical attention, it is equally important to inform the physician of any and all symptoms, including headaches, tightness, soreness, muscle spasms, pain, loss of sensation, confusion, dizziness or any other problems.
CALL MANDELBAUM TRICHLER LAW CENTER — The insurance company started working on defending your case so why shouldn’t you? Our attorneys began their respective legal careers by working for the insurance companies and representing defendants in personal injury cases. Now, our attorneys represent individuals who have been injured in personal injury cases, such as automobile, trucking and motorcycle accidents.
Call us
today so we can ensure your case is handled quickly and aggressively.
- Always call 911 immediately following an accident.
- Request emergency medical personnel to the scene if you or anyone appears injured or appears dazed and confused.
- Do not move the vehicles until police arrive, except for traffic safety reasons.
- If you need to move the vehicles and if possible, obtain photographs of their location first.
- Obtain contact, identification and insurance information from the other drivers.
- Obtain contact information from any witnesses.
- Do not discuss the accident with any witnesses at the scene.
- Do not discuss your injuries with any witnesses at the scene.
- Take photographs of the crash scene.
- Take photographs of all of the involved vehicles.
- Take photographs of your seatbelts to verify they were working properly at the time of the accident.
- Take photographs of any visible injuries you may have sustained.
- Request a police report and verify any incorrect information before you leave the scene.
- CALL MANDELBAUM TRICHLER LAW CENTER, P.A.
As soon as you, or the other person involved in the accident, reported the accident to an insurance company, the insurance company’s internal machine began its defense against your injuries. Be sure to take appropriate action to combat the insurance company’s heavy handed machine by contacting us, your
Tampa Personal Injury Attorneys.