Getting into an accident with a drunk driver can be an incredibly scary experience and often leaves individuals wondering what to do next. The steps you take immediately following a crash with an impaired driver, as well as in the days and weeks that follow the incident, can help ensure that you recover maximum compensation for your losses.
Call 911 Immediately
If you are struck by a drunk driver in Philadelphia, you need to dial 911 and speak to the police dispatcher. Let them know where the incident occurred. The police dispatcher will ask simple questions about the incident so they can gain as much information as possible to move the right resources in your direction. Do not assume that someone else has called 911.
Check for Injuries
You need to check yourself, your passengers, and any other individuals in the vicinity for visible injuries. When you are checking yourself and your loved ones for injuries, please understand that the signs and symptoms of various types of accident injuries may not appear until hours or even days after the initial incident. If you do not feel any pain right away, this could be because the adrenaline is masking these feelings. Do not assume that you are not injured.
Seek Medical Care
You need to seek medical treatment as soon as possible after a drunk driving accident. Again, even if you do not feel any pain, you need to either take the ambulance to the hospital or go immediately to the emergency room after you are able to leave the scene safely. Not only does this ensure that your injuries are treated, but it also establishes a link between the incident and any injuries that do show up.
Gather Evidence
You may or may not be able to gather evidence at the scene of the incident, depending on safety. If you are able to do so, you can use your phone to take pictures of everything at the scene. This includes damage to vehicles, injuries, traffic or weather conditions, debris, and more. You can also use the video feature on your phone to take a video of the entire scene. Additionally, if there are any eyewitnesses around the area, get their names and contact information written down. These individuals can testify as to what they saw as well as the other driver’s possible impairment.
Call Your Insurance Carrier
Insurance carriers have very strict reporting deadlines for vehicle accidents, often within a day or two after the incident occurs. You need to call your insurance carrier to at least report the incident, but you do not have to go into much detail right away. Just let the insurance carrier know what happened, the name and insurance information of the other driver, and that you are seeking medical care for your injuries.
Contact an Attorney
Reach out to a skilled Philadelphia accident attorney the same day the incident occurs if you were able to. Your attorney can get involved quickly and begin gathering as much evidence as possible to prove what happened.
Continue Medical Treatment
You should always continue the medical care requested by your doctor. Discontinuing care before your doctor says you should can result in the insurance carrier limiting how much money you receive. If you stop going to your doctor’s follow-up visits, this could be taken as a sign that you are not as seriously injured as previously claimed.