Make Sure You Do These 5 Things After an Accident in Las Vegas
A wise man once said, “An accident won’t arrive with a bell on its neck.” It’s never expected but can happen at any time. Least we can do is to be prepared for such situations. Accidents, even minor, can be costly. It can cause you to end up in a hospital. Even in the best case scenario, your vehicle will need repairing.
Las Vegas is a lovely place. It’s very famous for gambling, entertainment, and nightlife. People go there to leave all their worries behind and spend a few days of real freedom. In this freedom, some people also forget the state laws they must abide by. One of those forgotten laws includes ‘drunk driving’. In case, you are to face such unpleasant experience in Vegas, here are five things you must keep in mind to successfully claim your right.
Avoid Apologizing
It may not be what you were taught in school but practical life is a little different. A gentleman apologizes even if it’s not his mistake, but then he can pay for his car expenses himself. If you are to meet an accident, don’t apologize because it will be considered accepting your mistake. This will later be used against you in the court that you knew it was your fault that’s why you said ‘sorry’.
Be polite, be calm, understand the situation, and communicate. Make sure no one has any serious injuries. Call an ambulance if needed and move your vehicle aside to clear the road. All said and done, don’t be extra gentlemen saying that ‘you’ should have been more careful.
Exchange information
You need all the information about the other party in order to get compensation for your loss. You and the other party are bound to provide information. It’s a law in the state of Nevada that you must exchange information with the other driver no matter who is at fault.
You need enough information to contact each other easily. This information would include name, contact number, and license plate number. If there is police at the scene, make sure you also get the police report number. This report will later help your lawyer get information from the crime investigation.
Determine if it’s Your Fault
Try to understand whose fault caused the accident. It may be hard to determine at the moment but you will understand once you have calmed down. After going through the steps above, reconsider how the accident occurred. Your next move depends on how you conclude this step.
If it’s NOT Your Fault
If you understand that it’s not your fault, then do these three things.
- Gather information of the other driver, i.e. name, license plate number, phone number, etc.
- Get the insurance information of that driver to later reclaim your expenses.
- Take as many photos of the car as possible. Try to cover its every side.
In this case, the insurance company of other party will do their best to close the case by paying you the least amount if any. In order to get the true value of your claim, you will need one of the best Las Vegas personal injury lawyers. The lawyer will make sure you get more than what you were expecting.
If it’s Your Fault
You need to call the insurance company and tell them everything about the accident if it was your fault. Don’t delay in contacting them. Most of the insurance companies have a rule that you must inform them within 24 hours of the accident. In this case, the insurance company will provide you a lawyer fight the case. Your car insurance, if you have any, will cover all expenses of the lawyer.