1. This guy sure isn’t going to want to ride a motorcycle again.
2. I wonder if the hospital will tell him what really happened in surgery.
3. I heard they can’t locate any of his relatives.
4. This guy had better get an attorney fast.
5. The nurses sure don’t like this guy.
6. The cafeteria special today is tofu ala king.
7. Did you hear about all the people who got food poisoning here last week?
8. I heard they’re shipping this guy out to the mental ward.
9. When are they ever going to learn to get the X-rays right side up in surgery?
10. I sure don’t envy this guy.
Here are ten actual tips of advice from a motorcycle accident attorney to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a personal injury in Palm Springs, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learning how we can assist you.
Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it’s at least been a few hours since the accident. That being said, we can run through what you should have done at the scene pretty quickly, since it’s probably too late to remedy what’s already happened. However, if you ever have another accident, here’s what you should do the next time.
First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.
Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.
Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.
Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.
Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.
Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.
Seventh, call a good motorcycle accident attorney as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good motorcycle accident attorney can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good motorcycle accident attorney can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most motorcycle accident attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.
Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your attorney can give you the form for this.
Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.
Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.
If you’ve had a motorcycle accident in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio, Coachella, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, Indian Wells, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Thermal, Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Palm Springs Motorcycle Accident Lawyer and your Palm Desert Motorcycle Accident Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.
If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learn how we can assist you.
Posts Tagged ‘Injury’
Palm Springs Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?s Top Ten Things You Wish You Never Hear Again in Your Hospital Room After a Personal Injury Accident
Friday, April 23rd, 2010Hemet Personal Injury Lawyer?s Top Ten Things You Don?t Want to See at the Hospital After a Personal Injury Car Accident
Saturday, April 17th, 20101. Dirty sheets.
2. Bed bugs.
3. Doctors drinking.
4. Nurses drinking.
5. Hospital food.
6. Dirty bathrooms.
7. Diapers.
8. Depends.
9. Doctors leaving.
10. Nurses sleeping.
Here are ten useful tips of advice from a personal injury lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a personal injury in Hemet, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learning how we can assist you.
Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it’s probably been at least a few days since the accident. However, if it’s only been a few hours or if you ever have another accident, here’s what you should do the next time from the start.
First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.
Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.
Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.
Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.
Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.
Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.
Seventh, call a good personal injury lawyer as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good personal injury lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good personal injury lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most personal injury attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.
Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.
Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.
Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.
If you’ve had a personal injury in Hemet, Perris, Rialto, Redlands, Colton, Highland, Yucaipa, Riverside, San Bernardino, Moreno Valley, Fontana, Apple Valley, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Hemet Personal Injury Lawyer and your Perris Personal Injury Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.
If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learn how we can assist you.
Colton Personal Injury Lawyer?s Top Ten Things You Least Want the Ambulance to Do on the Way to the Hospital
Wednesday, April 14th, 20101. Stop at a bar.
2. Stop at a liquor store.
3. Have a flat tire.
4. Have an accident.
5. Pick up other passengers.
6. Stop for a funeral procession.
7. Go to the wrong hospital.
8. Get lost.
9. Run out of gas.
10. Break down.
Here are ten useful tips of advice from a personal injury lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a personal injury in Colton, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learning how we can assist you.
Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it’s probably been at least a few days since the accident. However, if it’s only been a few hours or if you ever have another accident, here’s what you should do the next time from the start.
First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.
Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.
Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.
Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.
Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.
Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.
Seventh, call a good personal injury lawyer as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good personal injury lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good personal injury lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most personal injury attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.
Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.
Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.
Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.
If you’ve had a personal injury in Colton, Loma Linda, Rialto, Redlands, Hemet, Perris, Colton, Highland, Yucaipa, Riverside, San Bernardino, Moreno Valley, Fontana, Apple Valley, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Colton Personal Injury Lawyer and your Fontana Personal Injury Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.
If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learn how we can assist you.
Hermosa Beach Personal Injury Lawyer?s Top Ten Ways Hospitals Mess With You After an Auto Accident
Wednesday, March 31st, 20101. Shifting you to more crowded county hospitals
2. Putting you in dorm type rooms.
3. Putting you in the mental ward.
4. Sending you to a rest home.
5. Losing your valuables.
6. Forgetting you’re there.
7. Making you wait, and wait, and wait…
8. The food.
9. Wrong dosages.
10. Wrong drugs.
Here are ten useful tips of advice from a personal injury lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a personal injury in Hermosa Beach, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learning how we can assist you.
Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it’s probably been at least a few days since the accident. However, if it’s only been a few hours or if you ever have another accident, here’s what you should do the next time from the start.
First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.
Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.
Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.
Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.
Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.
Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.
Seventh, call a good personal injury lawyer as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good personal injury lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good personal injury lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most personal injury attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.
Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.
Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.
Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.
If you’ve had a personal injury in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Torrance, Carson, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Marina del Rey, Venice, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, Cambria or San Luis Obispo or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Hermosa Beach Personal Injury Lawyer and your Manhattan Beach Personal Injury Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.
If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learn how we can assist you.
Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Discusses Consequences of Hospital Negligence
Monday, March 29th, 2010Regardless of the fact that most medical practitioners and others are strong adherents to the Hippocratic Oath, there is always a chance of error in a medical environment. Through the ages of humanity, healers have worked to mediate a science that many would call imperfect—always work toward the good while recognizing the risks of procedures and treatments.In today’s medical environment, risk has taken on a new form. Medical networks routinely categorize and assess different kinds of risk and try to plan for a crisis involving a medical error. Information professionals keep statistics and records on hand as part of a greater campaign to deal with medical risk issues. Part of this system includes the event of hospital negligence where an error or omission can cause personal injury for a patient.In a traditional American medical environment, a doctor was an individual healer providing overall care to a community. Today’s medical environment is much different. A case in point involves medical care centers in the state of Washington in the country’s northeast where large urban areas reflect a significant population, and medical networks provide risk assessments for a large community. In the state of Washington and beyond, hospital negligence and similar situations show that dealing with malpractice, errors and omissions in care is not always a straightforward process.Look at a standard Washington hospital bill and you can see that there is often more than one party billing for services. In fact, when talking about a hospital care bill, it’s more accurate to speak about it in the plural since today, many practitioners bill separately. This means the typical patient in a hospital stay will receive many different envelopes with separate bills for their one-time inpatient visit, or even for a routine outpatient procedure.Dealing with the multiple parties involved in a hospital billing situation is just one of the complexities of litigating for hospital negligence. Even if the victim can narrow down what aspect of the care led to a negative condition, legalities in claims for compensation often get in the way. Regardless of the fact that aspects of hospital negligence affecting care often leave a paper trail (for example, a minor surgical procedure is often recorded on paper with indications of placement, etc.), it can still be hard for a patient or family members to figure out how to identify fault in a hospital negligence situation.Washington patients and those across America turn to legal teams and professionals to help communicate with the healers in their area regarding any past procedure or visit that left them with specific negative conditions. Such negligent actions may affect a patient’s health in that he or she develops a condition or suffers from preventable mistakes anywhere within the medical care network—from the hospital to outpatient labs, doctor’s offices or clinics. These legal teams take care to provide the right research in order to document how hospital negligence affected their clients. They also know how to effectively communicate within a system that relies heavily on documentation where today’s doctors do not often communicate directly with any given party in a hospital negligence case—at least not without corresponding legal paperwork being filed. Getting the right messages across is important in what professional personal injury lawyers provide to clients. The other part of this communication is breaking down the situation into explainable legal results for clients who are not familiar with how hospital negligence cases are handled or how settlements and judgments are awarded.By speaking with a skilled Seattle personal injury attorney, someone who has been negatively impacted by medical care can see how his or her case relates to greater precedent. In the state of Washington, individuals or households can locate firms based in urban centers like Seattle where experience with large medical networks provides unique knowledge of how to navigate the legal system to get fair compensation for a mistake that caused harm to the patient.
Camarillo Personal Injury Lawyer?s Top Ten Charges You Don?t Want to See on Your Hospital Bill After a Car Accident
Tuesday, February 23rd, 20101. Insurance denials of payment.
2. Surgeries you don’t remember.
3. Surgeries on the wrong body parts.
4. Anything to do with a prostate.
5. $100 aspirins.
6. Charges for sponge baths by nurse Bertha.
7. Bertha’s phone number and a note, “Call me.”
8. Charges from a doctor you never saw.
9. Appointments for return surgeries.
10. Charges for sponges left inside you.
Here are ten useful tips of advice from a personal injury lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a personal injury in Camarillo, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learning how we can assist you.
Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it’s probably been at least a few days since the accident. However, if it’s only been a few hours or if you ever have another accident, here’s what you should do the next time from the start.
First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.
Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.
Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.
Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.
Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.
Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.
Seventh, call a good personal injury lawyer as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good personal injury lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good personal injury lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most personal injury attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.
Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.
Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.
Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.
If you’ve had a personal injury in Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Torrance, Carson, Brentwood, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, Cambria or San Luis Obispo, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Camarillo Personal Injury Lawyer and your Ventura Personal Injury Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.
If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com and learn how we can assist you.
Personal Injury Hospital Bills–How Legal Services Can Help
Sunday, February 14th, 2010It does not happen in any other industrialized nation – but in the U.S., because of the nature of the profit-driven health care industry, medical and hospital bills due to personal injury can cause victims and their families extreme financial hardship – even bankruptcy and the loss of a home.It’s not right, it’s not fair – but since lawmakers in Washington D.C. are little inclined to change the system, the only recourse for those in the Denver area who are in this situation is to obtain the services of a Denver personal injury lawyer.How Legal Services Can HelpThe area of personal injury law is very broad and covers a wide range of situations that range from property damages to injuries done to one’s reputation (i.e., slander and libel). In extreme cases, it addresses situations in which one has lost a family member because of someone else’s negligence. In this case, a Colorado wrongful death lawyer can assist in getting some kind of compensation from the party responsible.A personal injury or wrongful death suit does not usually involve illegal or criminal activities (although they can be – and these components are dealt with separately in the criminal courts). In most cases, the injury or death has occurred because of either:• carelessness or negligence on the part of the party responsible• a defective or toxic product In the case of the latter, a Denver wrongful death lawyer would go after the manufacturer of the product. In the former case, the lawyer will file suit against either the individual, his/her insurer and/or a business (for example, if an employee of John’s Widgets, Inc. had caused the injury or death while on the clock and performing his/her duties, the company would bear the liability).The important thing about winning a personal injury or wrongful death suit is to prove that the party being held responsible had a “duty of care” toward the injured party and had failed to exercise that duty. Proving this in civil court can be challenging and the law has numerous “gray areas” in these matters – so it’s a good idea to have a Denver personal injury lawyer to represent you.Obtaining ServicesFortunately, if you are injured or have lost a loved on because of another’s negligence, you will not have to come up with money to retain the services of a Colorado wrongful death lawyer or other legal professional. The lawyers will review your case for free, and if it is determined to have merit, will take the case on a “contingency basis.” This means that all lawyer’s fees will be a percentage of any court award (usually about one-third); you will pay nothing unless your Denver personal injury lawyer wins your case.
