If you have experienced a road accident recently, you may be wondering about what your next steps should be.
Hopefully, you managed to gather the details of anyone else involved in the crash, including any witnesses. You should also have gathered some information about the crash scene, including photos, drawings, and descriptions. If not, you may want to return to the scene as soon as possible to do this while it is still fresh in your mind.
You should also have informed the police if anyone was injured or if any damage occurred to the property.
So now what should you do?
Do you need to go to the police station?
If you were asked to show your insurance certificate or for your details by someone with a right to know, but you did not provide them, head to a police station to show this in the next seven days.
If you did not provide your personal details to anyone who asked for them, present these at a police station within 24 hours.
Contact your insurer
Your insurers should be provided with all the details of the accident so that they have it on record. You or someone else may decide to make a claim, in which case your insurer will need to have all the details. So call them as early as possible, even if you are not planning on making a claim.
Book an appointment with your doctor
Some injuries from accidents may be very obvious and painful, but some may not. You may have a whiplash injury that is not noticeable to anyone else but is very painful to you.
Always book an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible and get checked over. This can also be important if you decide to make a compensation claim because the doctor’s assessment can back up your claims.
Start to keep track of any problems you experience
A few months down the line, it can be easy to forget about the exact problems you faced in the weeks following the accident, so keep a note of them. These include headaches, aches, pains, difficulties moving around, as well as any expenses you incur that are related to the accident, for which you should keep all receipts.
What to look for in a solicitor
You may think that you have reason to make a claim for compensation. Perhaps you were injured and had to take time off work, or you may have spent money on transport to see the doctor. If you think you may be entitled to a claim, contact a solicitor as soon as possible.
Some of the things to look for in a solicitor include:
- experience in claiming compensation for the different types of road traffic accident claims;
- a no-win-no-fee arrangement;
- how much compensation can you expect overall (this depends on many factors including the injuries you have suffered and costs you have incurred).
The most important thing to do is talk directly to a solicitor. Do they come across as experienced? Do you like and trust them? Can you see yourself working with them?
Once you have found a solicitor, they will instruct you on your next course of action – and start the process of claiming any compensation you feel you are entitled to.