Learn how to protect your rights and interests after an accident using your smartphone.
If you have been seriously injured in an accident of any kind, your first priority should be getting the necessary medical help. However, if your injuries allow, there are several other important activities that you can complete using your cell phone in the aftermath of an accident. These activities will help support your ability to file a personal injury claim for recovery of full and fair compensation for your injuries, pain and suffering, and other losses.
- Document the Scene
The first question to be answered in any personal injury case is: What happened and who is liable? By taking photos and/or video of the scene of the accident, you can create vital documentation that will help your attorney answer this question to the satisfaction of the law. Be sure to take photos before anyone moves or touches anything at the scene (unless this is necessary to assist an injured person).
If you have been in a car accident, take photos from multiple angles showing where the cars came to rest after impact and the extent of the damage to the vehicles. If you have been in a premises accident, take photos of the hazard that caused you to trip, slip, fall, or otherwise become injured. You may also want someone to take a photo of you showing your injuries. This documentation will make it very hard for the party liable for the accident to conceal their guilt. - Gather Contact Information
Eyewitness testimony can also play an important role in a personal injury case, so it is important to capture the contact information of any witnesses who saw any part of your accident. Your smartphone should make it very easy to do this. You could enter bystanders’ contact information directly into the phone’s address book, you could take a picture of their driver’s license or business card, or you could even record a short audio file of them stating their name, contact info, and what they saw.
- Call Your Attorney
If you are determined to preserve your ability to recover full and fair compensation for your injuries, the final task you must complete with your smartphone is calling your personal injury attorney. You may need to look up the number using your phone’s web browser. It is very important to call your attorney as soon as possible after the accident, and definitely BEFORE you call your insurance company. This way, you can avoid accidentally admitting any fault for the accident, downplaying your injuries, or making any other error that could hurt your case later on.
Need Help Now?
If you are in need of expert advice about a personal injury case, please call (310) 209-1600 now. We’ll be happy to set up a free initial consultation for you to discuss your legal matter with Michael A. Kahn.
