Immediately notify the authorities of the car accident and file a police report, and collect as much data as possible at the accident scene.  This will help to establish liability for the car accident and will also help establish your medical damages.  You are required by law to trade insurance information with the other drivers involved in your accident.  Beyond that, if you are involved in an auto accident, you should collect contact information from any possible witnesses and take photos if you can.  Again, this will help establish damages and liability in your auto accident case.

Seek medical treatment immediately.  Serious injuries may require emergency care, but other injuries may not be so obvious, particularly when you have been through the shock of an accident.  Therefore, do not delay in seeking medical treatment following your car accident.  Additionally, attend all medical appointments and continue to treat unless your accident injuries are fully resolved.

Do not speak to insurance companies without the assistance of an attorney.  Many car accident victims make the mistake of believing that insurance companies are working for them.  Unfortunately this is not the case.  Insurance company adjusters do not serve your interests when you are involved in an accident, and the statements you make can be harmful to your car accident case.  The goal of insurance companies is to pay out as little as possible for your auto accident claim.  An attorney experienced in dealing with insurance companies will help represent your interests and protect your auto accident claim. 

Contact an experienced accident attorney as soon as possible.  An attorney who is experienced in handling car accidents will preserve and collect all data pertinent to your accident claim, make sure you receive the medical treatment you need, deal with the insurance companies for you, aggressively pursue every source of legal compensation for your injuries and damages, and make sure that your accident lawsuit is filed within the time limits provided by law.  When you have been injured in an auto accident as the result of another driver’s negligence, you face the burden of proving your claim.  In other words, the accident victim must demonstrate that the other driver was at fault.  You will need an experienced and aggressive attorney to establish fault in your auto accident case.

Auto accident victims who are injured as the result of another driver’s fault are entitled to be compensated for the following:  Medical bills; pain and suffering; lost wages; and future damages.

Your medical bills include any bills for doctor’s appointments, medications, emergency care and hospitalization, physical therapy and chiropractic care, and diagnostic testing.  You are also entitled to compensation for all future medical expenses reasonably related to your car accident injury.  Compensation for pain and suffering is based upon how bad your injuries are, and how long your suffering has lasted.  Accurately assessing your pain and suffering requires assessing the full impact of the car accident upon your daily life.

Your claim for lost wages entitles you to be compensated for money you would have earned from working but for your accident injury.  You can recover your lost wages for the time you missed at work even if you were forced to use sick days or vacation time.  You will also be entitled to compensation for reduced earning capacity if your injury will prevent you from working, in whole or in part, in the future. 

In an accident case, punitive damages (damages intended to punish a person who has committed a civil wrong) are not typically recoverable.  However, there are exceptions to this rule, and an experienced auto accident attorney will be able to seek punitive damages when it is possible to do so.

An experienced auto accident attorney seeks the above compensation from all possible parties in order to maximize the compensation you receive.  In addition to seeking compensation from the driver who caused the car accident and his or her insurance company, an experienced accident injury attorney seeks to maximize your recovery by seeking compensation from any and all sources.  Specifically, the owners of the vehicle used by the driver who caused your accident injury may be liable; the employers of the driver who caused your accident injury may be liable; government subdivisions such as counties or municipalities may be liable; car manufacturers may be liable, and your own insurance company may be liable to pay if the person who caused the accident does not have sufficient insurance coverage to fully compensate for your injuries.

It costs you nothing to hire an attorney for your auto accident.  Your car accident claim will be handled on a contingency basis.  This means that your attorney only receives payment as a percentage of the monetary compensation won by you for your accident.  In other words, your attorney does not get paid unless and until you get paid.