Next Steps for San Antonio Car Wreck Victims

Nothing is more jarring than the first moments after a car accident. Thousands of people are involved in San Antonio car wreck accidents every day; in fact, San Antonio is one of the worst cities in the country for auto accident statistics. The first thing anyone must do is stay calm and attend to the immediate needs of the incident. The next step for San Antonio car wreck victims is to call an expert auto accident attorney from Carabin Shaw.

Auto accidents may be commonplace, but the consequences that follow them can leave your life turned upside down. Not only has your vehicle likely been put out of commission, you may have costly medical bills or, even worse, an inability to work that exacerbates the aforementioned issues. Having an experienced lawyer on your side to review your case and fight for your side will not only relieve you of the stress associated with filing an accident claim, your lawyer will also maximize your claim payout by finding damages you may not have been aware existed.

For over 22 years, Carabin Shaw have been defending the people of San Antonio against those who would abuse their rights and personal safety. A large part of our clients are victims of auto accidents, and they almost always have questions about what they should do in their situation or what they could have done better to protect their claim. To better help those in their situation, we put together this brief guide.

1. Remain calm and stay at the scene of the accident. It is important to never leave the scene of an accident until you have been cleared to do so, usually by an attending police officer. Doing so may result in charges of failure to render aid or felony hit-and-run. Worse, it will jeopardize your claim to compensation.

2. Call police and emergency medical services. Call 911 immediately. Police at the minimum will be sent, but if someone is hurt on the scene of the accident, make sure the emergency operator is notified and that they are dispatching a medical team. When the San Antonio Police Department arrives, comply with their questions and give them all information requested, but do not make an assessment of what caused the accident or who is at-fault for their police report. This is a job best suited for your attorney.

3. Get information from all others involved in the accident. Aside from insurance information, try to get the names, phone numbers, and addresses of those involved. It is also very important not to talk about the accident with those involved aside from what is absolutely necessary, and especially not about whose fault it might be. Statements such as these might be used against you in the claim and diminish your total compensation.

4. Take pictures and record evidence of the accident. The next step for San Antonio car wreck victims is to take pictures of the accident with a phone or a camera. Try to get images that capture the whole scene, as well as images of every point of damage to others’ vehicles and your own. Then on a notepad or on your phone, record all the details of the accident while you can still remember them clearly: how it happened, driving conditions, even state of appearance of the other drivers.

5. Stay at the scene until it is safe to leave. As stated in step one, you should never leave the scene until cleared by an attending police officer; more than that, you should never leave until you’ve done as much as you can to reinforce your case. Stay until you’ve completed all the steps above, and don’t let other drivers leave either before getting what you need.

6. Call an attorney as soon as possible. The at-fault party’s insurance company will likely try to make you a settlement offer as soon as they can after the accident. Don’t fall for this – insurance companies know that if they can get to you before you have a chance to talk to legal assistance or get advice from others, they have a better chance of paying you less compensation possible. Calling an attorney as soon as you are able will give your rights the edge before others can trample them.

Insurance adjusters have the mission of saving their companies money, not your physical and financial wellbeing. They will do everything in their power to convince you to settle for less or trivialize your claim. At their back are their insurance companies’ army of corporate lawyers who are paid well enough to silence their consciences. To give your claim a fighting chance, you need experience and savvy on your side.

Our record of success has won thousands of auto accident victims across Texas win the fullest compensation, enabling them to recover their losses and get their lives back on track. When you call Carabin Shaw, our compassionate, bilingual representatives will direct you to the right attorney who will assess your options in a free initial consultation. Even better, you never pay out-of-pocket for our services because our fees are only paid from the compensation package once you win.

Don’t hesitate; call a San Antonio car wreck injury attorney today at 210-222-2288.