After a collision with a motor vehicle, it is always best for the police and emergency services to be called immediately. It is important to seek help from law enforcement to ensure that the driver’s information is collected and can make a report of what occurred. Once medical treatment has been administered, it is best to retain the services of an experienced pedestrian accident attorney in your area. Speak to a diligent lawyer to learn about the steps to take after a pedestrian accident in George County.
The first thing individuals should do to make sure that all parties involved get medical treatment immediately. It is important to allow emergency personnel, who are trained to handle these situations, get to the scene, and treat the injured person. If onlookers try and get involved (unless absolutely necessary) this could result in further injury and damage.
If the injury is in a heavily trafficked area and the pedestrian needs to be moved from the area or roadway, then in certain situations it is appropriate to move the injured person. Otherwise, that person should remain where they are until authorities and medical professionals arrive. Also, they should call 911 to have the injured person checked out, even if the pedestrian feels like they are okay.
Depending on the severity of injuries, immediately after being involved in a pedestrian accident, the injured person should seek medical attention. There is rarely a pedestrian accident that does not involve a serious injury. It is always good to get checked out to be on the safe side. Pedestrian accidents could involve internal bleeding and internal damage to organs, so a full workup by a doctor would be appropriate in those situations.
Many pedestrian accidents are hit-and-runs. In hit and run accidents, the injured person will not be able to get the driver’s information unless the witnesses alert authorities and authorities track the driver down. Also, it is important to get witness statements and to talk to the police so that they could do their job to try to document the accident properly. However, if the driver stays at the scene, then driver information could be easily collected.
Other information from the scene of the accident that people should try to collect includes insurance information and pictures of the parties, witnesses and conditions. Any kind of details about the actual vehicle would be important, if there is a hit and run. If the witnesses do not stay at the scene, the injured person (or someone on their behalf) should try to talk to others to get descriptions of the witnesses so that information might be collected later.
The importance of taking pictures of the accident scene, including the vehicle involved, the location, and the physical damages is try to document the scene as best as possible. Police officers working at the scene will do the best they can, but different jurisdictions and officers will document the accident scene differently. There is no uniformity on police work for accidents. It is important to either document the accident scene personally or have somebody on their behalf come to the scene and take pictures. Lawyers also send investigators to accidents if called upon to do so, and those investigators could get pictures of the accident scene.
After a pedestrian accident in George County, victims should contact a personal injury attorney after they seek appropriate medical treatment. When medical treatment has been rendered, the injured person or somebody acting on their behalf should begin working on the case. An attorney will be able to help get appropriate medical treatment, document the accident scene, and make sure that liability will be established appropriately. Call today to learn about the steps to take after a pedestrian accident in George County.