Most lawyers will agree that the earlier a lawyer is retained in a Miami, Florida Car Accident case, the better he/she will be able to do his/her job.  The reason is very simply – some evidence simply disappears as time goes by.  You cannot take a photograph of property damage that shows how vicious a collision was after the car is repaired, a witnesses memory will is not likely to be as good as the few days following the collision, video surveillance of the collisision my be recorded over after a few days, etc.

Below are a few key things to remember when involved in an automobile accident in Florida:

1. Most importantly, make sure anybody that needs emergency medical attention gets it.  If it is a serious collision, most people call 911 and one of the first questions the 911 operator will ask is “Is anybody injured”.
2. If you are physically able to do so, and it does not put you in any danger of further injury to yourself, take photographs of the accident scene – from far away to get perspective and the positioning of the vehicles,of the lanes of traffic and speed limits signs and close ups of the vehicle to show the damage.
3. Make sure your vehicle is in a safe location so as not to endanger other vehicles travelling on the road.
4. Calmly tell the police officer what happened and use the pictures you took if the vehicle had to be moved.
5. Tell the police office about any injuries that you may have sustained.
6. Get the contact information of all witnesses to the collision – even though we expect the police report to contain this information it often does not.
7. After you make sure anybody who needs it gets emergency medical condition, you will likely have to start dealing with insurance companies – both your own and the other vehicle involved in the collision.  Dealing with the insurance companies can be a tedious process.  Make no mistake about it, any information that you provide to any insurance company can be used against you.  There are some time limitations you have to follow when reporting accidents to insurance companies.  For this reason, you may want to consider retaining an attorney.  Most Miami Personal Injury Lawyers do not require any money from the client.  Rather, they are retained on a contingency fee basis – meaning the lawyer gets a percentage of the gross recovery as the fee.

Retaining an attorney early on in a case will often allow you to recover from your Injuries or grieve the loss of a loved one from a Wrongful Death and let the attorney deal with the insurance companies.  A good attorney will have a private investigator obtain statements from witnesses, try and obtain any video or photos of the scene that you were not able to obtain and assist in getting your medical or funeral expenses paid by the proper insurance company.  When you meet with any attorney for a Car Accident make sure you bring all information provided by the police, all medical records from this accident, contact information for any doctor that has treated you for similar injuries in the past, all photographs of the scene of the accident and injuries and all insurance cards (automobile insurance for any vehicle you own, is garaged at your house or in which you were traveling at the time of the accident).

Jeffrey S. Altman is a Miami Personal Injury Lawyer and Managing Partner of The Altman Law Firm.  Jeffrey S. Altman has been representing victims of Personal Injury and Wrongful Death since 1998.  Our office is located in Miami only minutes away from North Miami, North Miami Beach, South Beach, Aventura and Miami Shores.  We offer Free Consultation in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Matters.  If you would like a Free Consultation with Jeffrey S. Altman please call 305.373.3730.