You can take steps to protect your legal rights after a serious car accident in Hawaii. Things you can do include getting contact information from any witnesses, jotting down license plate numbers and consulting with a Hawaii personal injury lawyer.
Immediately after a serious car accident in Hawaii, your priority will understandably be the wellbeing of yourself and your passengers. The first thing you should do is seek medical treatment for all injured parties, and then you can take steps to protect your legal rights.
Things to Do after a Car Accident
You should do the following after a serious car accident in Hawaii:
• call 911;
• cooperate with police and emergency personnel;
• jot down the license plate number of all vehicles involved in the car accident in Hawaii and get contact and insurance information of all drivers;
• get contact information from any witnesses;
• take photos of the accident scen
e, damage to vehicles and damage to any other property, as well as any visible injuries;
• while your mind is still fresh, write down everything that you remember that led to your accident (include weather conditions, time, place and anything that was said); and
• keep a journal of your injury treatment and recovery, including the daily effect the injuries have had on your work and personal life.
You should also consult with a personal injury lawyer to discuss whether the accident was caused by someone else’s negligence. If that’s the case, your Hawaii personal injury lawyer may be able to help you file a personal injury claim to seek compensation for your accident expenses.
As soon as possible after the car accident, you should contact the law enforcement agency that responded to the accident and request a copy of the police report. This report will include environmental conditions at the time of the accident and possibly the police officer’s preliminary fault assessment, which could help your Hawaii personal injury lawyer build a solid case.
Things to Avoid After a Car Accident
There are also several things you should not do after a car accident in Hawaii. Don’t move your vehicle unless it’s necessary for safety reasons and don’t leave the accident scene until you have been advised to do so by police.
It’s also very important that you don’t discuss fault or apologize for anything after a car accident in Hawaii. Anything you say could be used as evidence that you caused the accident.
Also, don’t throw away any evidence such as mangled car parts or torn, bloodied clothing. Your Hawaii personal injury lawyer will need this evidence in preparing your personal injury claim.
When you meet with a personal injury lawyer, they will ask for details about the accident, your insurance coverage and your injuries. You will need to be honest with your personal injury lawyer in order to have good chance at recovering damages.
