Tampa and Clearwater Drivers: Be Prepared for a Car Accident
When is the best time to prepare for a car accident? Before it happens! The first step is to review your insurance policy and make sure you have Underinsured Motorist coverage and collision coverage. If you are hit by an Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist, your own policy may be the only way for you to make a recovery for your injuries and have your car repaired.
Be sure to always have your car registration, driver’s license and proof of insurance with you when driving. In the aftermath of an auto accident, you don’t want to be searching for essential documents to avoid getting a ticket for lack of proof of insurance or any other paperwork that may keep the responding officers from doing their job.
Keep an “ICE” contact in your cell phone so that emergency personnel can contact your next of kin in case you are rendered unconscious or are unable to think clearly.
Keep a disposable camera in your glove compartment along with a notepad and a pen. If you are not seriously injured you can take photos of the cars, scene and injuries. Use the paper and pen to take down the name, driver’s license number and insurance information of the driver of the other vehicle. Also record the vehicle’s tag number, make, model and color.
Lastly, be sure to get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses. Do not rely on your cell phone, as it may be damaged and rendered inoperable in the accident. If your cell phone is working, ask the witness to text or call you so that you can save their information for later use. If the witness is willing, ask them to take a short video from the scene showing where they were and what they saw – like a news reporter would. Share this video and all of the other information with your attorney after you have received the emergency medical care that you need.
These few steps will make you far more prepared to recover from the accident than most!
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident, call Personal Injury Attorney Chelsie M. Lamie at 727-501-3464 for a free consultation. You can also learn more about Attorney Lamie by visiting www.chelsielamie.com.