What To Do If You Get Hit By a Car in Seattle

A car accident is a devastating incident that can cause serious, lifelong, and life-threatening injuries. At this point, you suffered the initial pain, received the medical care you need, and you have started on the journey to recovery. Now that you have medical bills, cannot sleep through the night due to the images that replay in your brain, and are unsure how you will recover financially, you may be wondering what to do.

What do you do after you get hit by a car in Seattle to recover financially for your damages?

As a victim, your priority must be on healing and recovering mentally from the losses you have. As a result, it is often beneficial to seek the guidance of a Seattle car accident attorney who can handle the legal process moving forward. Working with an attorney allows you to have an advocate to seek out all parties responsible for all damages you suffered.

In the meantime, there are numerous steps you can take to preserve your case and minimize the risk that you do not receive the recovery you desire and deserve.

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Documenting the Incident as Clearly as Possible

In most situations, it is critical to complete a police report that clearly outlines all the accident’s details. However, while this is still rather fresh in your mind, it is helpful if you write down, record your voice or video, or otherwise document what occurred before, during, and after the incident. The sooner you do this, the more likely you will remember the critical details that play a role in the process.

Here are some of the factors to document, even if it has been a few days after the accident:

• Where and when the incident took place
• What do you remember from outside that day, such as whether it was raining, dark, or other environmental conditions
• What were you doing, and where were you located, such as on a sidewalk, on your bicycle, or in a car
• Outline what you remember seeing, such as the vehicle approaching you. Did you see what they were doing prior to striking you? Perhaps you noticed the vehicle had been speeding before hitting your vehicle.
• What happened when the vehicle came closer? Did they swerve or try to stop? That can indicate they were distracted or otherwise not paying attention at the time of the incident.
• Anything you remember about the driver, such as how they looked, what they said, and how they acted. Always document any potential indication of alcohol or drug use only if you can accurately do so.
• Write down what occurred during and after the accident, including any people that you saw around or what others said

By writing down as much information as possible from the incident, you can create a path toward understanding what occurred and why. This can be critical to your case and recovery of your damages down the road.

Avoid Social Media in All Ways Possible

It is quite common for people to want to share what is happening with them on social media. It provides an outlet for feelings and expression and makes communicating with your friends and family about your injuries and losses easy. Yet, it also opens the door to potentially jeopardizing your case.

Insurance companies will do everything they can to reduce the compensation paid out in every situation. Social media is a public forum, and anything you post can be used against you later. Insurance investigators might access your social media profiles to see what you have been posting, and they might even see your information if your pages are set to private.

To protect your case, avoid the following:

• Posting any photos of what occurred or the aftermath on social media pages, even private accounts
• Detailing what you believe occurred on social media through a post, video, or otherwise
• Blaming anyone specific in a social media post or statement
• Discussing the state of your health and well-being
• Using a fundraising tool on social media that provides updates on your care and health status
• Sharing any insights into the long-term damage you may or may not have
• Commenting about your activities with friends or family after the accident and until your case is settled

These types of posts may seem harmless to you. Yet, they are ammunition for insurance companies, who want to do anything they can to reduce the compensation to victims. Even if you provide a seemingly harmless update on your condition to friends and family on social media, insurance companies might find some information that conflicts with the information in your claim. This can call your entire case into question and create unnecessary challenges and delays.

Have a Free Consultation with Your Car Accident Lawyer

As soon as you are ready to do so, sit down to talk to your car accident attorney about what occurred. The sooner you do this, the better. The goal is to establish as much information as possible about what happened so your attorney can begin working on building your case. Part of your car accident lawyer’s job will be finding the evidence available to document your losses.

You can do several things now to help support your attorney in this process.

• Provide accurate information. You must tell the attorney everything about the incident, your health, and your recovery. This information can help build your case and is never shared with anything outside of that attorney-client privilege without your knowledge.
• Communicate frequently with your car accident attorney about your recovery, injuries, and losses. Good communication helps minimize any lack of knowledge about what you are facing right now.
• Allow your attorney to speak to and handle the insurance company and adjusters. It is often best to refrain from answering their questions yourself since they may try to trick you. Instead, simply state you have retained an attorney and provide your attorney’s contact information.

In many situations, your car accident lawyer will begin working right away to determine all liable parties for the accident. They will also gather a wide range of details about your case, including if the other driver was intoxicated or cited for a traffic violation.

They will then work to better understand your losses. This may include documenting injuries and the recovery process over a period of time. Any information you have that can support this process can help make the attorney’s job much easier.

Keeping a Log of What You Are Experiencing After an Accident

It is challenging for anyone who is not the accident victim to truly understand the full scope of their losses. For example, if you have a broken arm, it might be clear you are suffering and in pain, but there is much more to this experience. Your injury can cause emotional distress, financial losses, and affect your ability to enjoy your life.

To help communicate your losses more fully, seek a consultation with a car accident lawyer and then start a journal. With the guidance of your attorney, document anything and everything related to the accident in your journal. Your objective should be to outline the specific way you feel on a day-to-day basis, including the good and bad. Be accurate and as descriptive as possible when doing this.

Some of the details you may wish to include are:

• Updates on the medical care you are receiving, including any medical appointments you have, statements from your doctor about your care needs, and documentation of surgeries and post-op recovery
• Any diagnoses and what tests were run
• Your mental health complications and struggles, whether it is frustration over not meeting your daily objectives, a lack of independence, or your trauma from the accident
• Any concerns about your emotional well-being. For example, sudden outbursts of anger or frustration that are not normal for you can help to demonstrate trauma responses
• Document any expenses or financial losses, including time and benefits not paid because you are out of work, as well as losses related to transportation or parking for the doctor’s office or medical supplies you have to purchase

As you go through the recovery process, use your journal as a way to outline your progress and improvement. You can place the notes from your physical therapist in the journal to help show the progression of your recovery (and all of the hard work you are putting into it). You may also want to document any bills you receive for medical care or other services you now need as a result of the accident.

The more thorough you can be, the more likely this journal is to help build your case. The details here, created over time rather than in one simple document, help showcase what you are going through during this process following the incident.

Avoid These Mistakes You May Make After Being Hit by a Car

After a car accident like this, your priority has to be your health and well-being. As you focus on that, report the case to the police, and then contact a car accident attorney, there are a few additional steps to take to protect your right to compensation.

• Never admit fault. Do not make statements such as “I did not see you” or “I am sorry.” Instead, say nothing to anyone other than your attorney.
• Avoid delaying your medical care. If you are not feeling well, get medical care. Get medical care if you are not feeling well in a few days. This is critical because it helps document what is occurring to you and helps the jury see the connection between your injuries and how you feel.
• Accepting a settlement. Do not accept a settlement for your injuries and losses without first speaking to your attorney. Most of the time, accepting a settlement will prevent you from legally pursuing additional damages in the case. Let your attorney push for a comprehensive recovery.
• Do not lie. Do not lie or exaggerate to anyone. For example, do not tell people you are fine or that you can go back to work until your doctor has cleared you. This can harm your ability to receive the compensation you are owed.
• Not reporting the incident to the police is also a problem. Even if the other person tries to encourage this, do not do so. Always contact the police to document what has happened at every stage of your case.

Most importantly, hire a car accident attorney as soon as possible to understand your options. Doing so helps to protect your right to full and fair compensation by eliminating the risk that you may say or do something that puts doubt in the minds of others. Instead, pursue full and fair legal representation.

Never Wait to Consult a Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

The time to seek legal representation is now. Time is short due to legal deadlines and the risk of losing critical evidence. Consultations are free, so there is no reason to wait to begin the legal process through a personal injury lawyer.