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Important Steps to Take After Ridesharing Accident
As ridesharing becomes more popular in modern times, it becomes riskier for those that aren’t careful when using the services offered to the public.
12:26 02 October 2019
Everyone wants to be confident in the possibility of getting from place to place without getting into an accident. However, there are many times when life throws a curveball, and someone causes an accident. If you happen to get into a ridesharing accident, here are the most important steps you need to take:
1 Inspect the Scene
Try to check out the scene right away. Get a clear idea of what took place and why it occurred before you make any drastic decisions or draw conclusions. How much damage has been done? Who is involved in this accident? Is there a need to call the police or report anything to your insurance company? These are the things you may want to consider while inspecting the scene.
This step is probably the most crucial because it can help you maintain the rational thinking you need while you’re working things out after the accident. Almost everyone gets upset when they get into a car accident or mishap that involves their vehicle. However, taking your anger out in the situation will only make things more difficult and all the more chaotic. Analyze yourself and try to make sure that any decisions or thoughts that come up are stemmed from a calm mindset.
2 Check Yourself and Others for Injuries
Again, you’d want to do this step with a calm mind. If you or anyone else has any serious injuries, this step should probably come first. Check yourself for any injuries, even if you don’t think you have any. Some injuries that occur during car accidents don’t make themselves known until hours later. For example, most people that get concussions don’t realize it until a few minutes or hours after it happens.
After that, make sure you check everyone else in your vehicle for injuries. If they are serious, you should call the police right away. If not, decide whether or not you want to take authoritative action and get them handled right away. Depending on the methods of your insurance provider, it is probably best that you report even minor injuries to authorities or insurance.
3 Gather Evidence and Call the Police
Getting evidence collected before calling the police is important because there have been cases where the other parties involved tried to manipulate evidence. If this happens and they succeed in doing this, you may have to suffer the consequences. That’s what makes the first step so important. Gather evidence and get a clear record of the scene so that you can report every detail to the police.
When you’re talking with the police, make sure that your information is accurate and true. You should never try to make guesses or draw any conclusions that you are not sure of. If you don’t remember something completely, don’t make it seem like it is true when you are telling the police. Doing so could backfire on you and everyone else involved.
4 Get Information From the Other Parties Involved
This is another step that is crucial to the outcome of the accident. Even if you happen to be in the rare situation where the other party ditches the scene, you should still make sure that getting their information is the top priority. If they try to drive away, you can still try to get a shot of their license plate. This is vital information that you could use when getting in touch with a Los Angeles Lyft accident attorney.
If they stayed, make sure you get their contact information and their insurance information. Usually, police will take care of this part of the process, but there are situations where they get there too late or don’t come at all. That is why it is a good idea to get the information on your own first regardless.
5 If Necessary, File a Claim With Your Insurance
If you find that the accident is more serious than you anticipated, it would be best to get in touch with your insurance company or a Los Angeles Lyft accident attorney and report as many details as you can. Make sure you tell them about what time the accident happened, how it happened, who was involved, vehicle types, any damage to the vehicles, and all other information.
Only give them the facts and avoid sentences with the words “I guess” and “I think.” You should make sure that you don’t sound like you’re unsure of what actually happened. If you’re not 100% sure of something, don’t report it. You should also try to be sure that you provide them with all of the pictures and video evidence you collected along with any pictures or videos that other passengers may have.
6 Get in Touch With a Professional or Attorney
It doesn’t take much to find the best ridesharing accident lawyer. Getting in touch with a lawyer or attorney will make your experience much easier. It will help you maintain a much more peaceful mind in knowing that you have someone on your side to help you through the ramifications. If you’re looking for the best ridesharing accident lawyer, look online to get more details.
7 Keep All Records
After everything has been taken care of by all parties involved and police, you should make sure that you keep all information stored in a safe place. Even if the information is being stored digitally, make sure that it is stored in a way that can’t be easily deleted or transferred to other places. Physical information should be kept away in some type of folder just in case you need to report things again for some reason.
If other people were in your vehicle when the accident happened, make sure that you ask them to keep track of all the information they collected as well. It won’t be good if the evidence is scattered around or lost.