The Steps You Should Be Taking After A Florida Car Accident
Those first few hours after a car accident in Florida are crucial. Without using them wisely, your right to a fair settlement from your insurance provider may be placed in jeopardy. While insurance providers may claim to be working for you before you sign your policy, the truth of the matter is that they’re always working for themselves first. Profits are important in business, and insurance companies are businesses first and foremost. For this reason, it’s common for insurance providers to look for any excuse they can to lower your payout, as the less they pay out the more they can put toward their profits from your monthly premiums.
When insurance providers try to “lowball” on your claim, it’s important to have a skilled Florida personal injury attorney at your side to represent you with experience. They know how to navigate the negotiations process, how to gather and present your evidence, and how to build a case for you that shows your need for damage recovery.
In order to do what you can to give yourself your best chance at a settlement, a few steps should be taken. These steps are: • Immediately call 911 – In those first seconds after an accident has occurred, after you’ve moved to a safe area to the side of the road, your very first action should be to call 911. This will bring medical personnel and police to your accident scene, so you can have your injuries assessed and create a police report. A police report is solid evidence of the goings on at your accident scene, and it’s something that’s taken very seriously by insurance providers. Medical personnel will be there to whisk you away to be assessed, so you can have your injuries documented and addressed immediately.
• Document your own detailed report – Along with the police report, you should also document your own detailed report as soon as possible. Document the road conditions at the time of the accident, what you and the other driver (or drivers) were doing when the accident occurred. Make sure to outline the damages to your car and any injuries you may have received. Collect witness statements and contact information and include this in your detailed report as well.
• Call your insurance provider – After you’ve been addressed medically, you have your police report, you’ve written your own detailed account, and you have witness statements prepared, it’s time to call your insurance provider. Reporting your accident to your insurance provider as soon as you’re safe and prepared is incredibly important, as waiting could give your insurance company excuse to dismiss, question, or lower your claim.
