Accidents with distracted drivers are becoming one of the greatest concerns on the roads over the past decade as smartphones offer drivers more things to draw their attention from the road. The Center For Disease Control and Prevention estimates that eight people are killed every day in the United States as a result of a vehicular accident caused by distracted drivers.
At Fears Nachawati, the top Fort Worth motorcycle accident law firm in the area, they’ve handled personal injury cases in which a car or motorcycle driver was hurt in a distracted driver accident. There are dozens of different ways for a driver to be distracted, including texting, taking photos, checking email, looking at GPS, putting on makeup or even changing music.
Five Steps to Take After an Accident With a Distracted Driver
A distracted driver is responsible for any of the damages he or she may have caused in a traffic accident, so it’s important to know what steps you should take to make sure you are compensated correctly.
- Contact the Police
If you’re able to, call the police immediately and they’ll handle much of the accident investigation, clearing the scene and making sure unaffected drivers are able to get through the area without more damage.
- Get Medical Attention
If you called 9-1-1, then an ambulance is likely on the way to care for anyone injured in the accident, but even before they get there, you should immediately take a personal injury inventory of your body to see what might be hurt. Are you bleeding? Is anything broken? Is anyone else in your car injured?
Just because you are able to get out of your car and walk around doesn’t mean you aren’t seriously injured internally. Make sure you get examined by the paramedics thoroughly, and then follow up with a doctor in the next day or so. Adrenaline often masks pain in a person, allowing them to deal with whatever emergency they’re facing. So it’s important to get examined even if you feel OK just after the accident.
- Start Gathering Information
If you’re able to walk around and you’re not in too much pain, go ahead and exchange driver information with the other person involved in the accident. Get their insurance policy information, as well as their name, address, phone number, driver’s license number and even their place of work. These are all things you might need in a court case against them. Take pictures of the scene of the accident, including the damages to the cars. Also, try to get the contact information for any witnesses that saw what happened. This will help your lawyer and your case.
- Contact Your Insurance Company
Let your insurance company know what happened so they can help you get the other driver’s insurance company to pay for the damages. They’re on your side when a distracted driver causes an accident.
- Call a Lawyer
You can do this step earlier on this list, depending on how the situation is unfolding. In many cases, a lawyer will help you with some of the other steps. Auto insurance might not cover all of the damages, so hiring a personal injury lawyer will help you go after further compensation.
While you’re looking for a Fort Worth motorcycle accident law firm, give Fears Nachawati a phone call at (817) 230-4750, or visit us at our offices on 777 Main Street, Suite 600, in downtown Fort Worth. You can also contact us in our other Texas offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.