If you’ve been in a car accident, there can be a lot of concerns and things to take care of, even if you weren’t seriously hurt (or didn’t seem to be). Also, you may find yourself with heightened nerves, and not thinking straight. The event of a car accident can be traumatizing, and you may find yourself wanting to get away from it as soon as possible. If you have been injured in a car accident contact one of our skilled car accident attorneys in South Bend today for a free consultation.
Why You Shouldn’t Leave an Accident
You may feel the need to flee the scene, but leaving an accident is absolutely the wrong call. It’s illegal.
From a legal standpoint, you have to be on the scene of the accident to give your statement to the police when they arrive. Furthermore, you always want to be there to give your version of events as they took place. Even if the other driver seems “nice,” remember that they are a stranger, and they have a vested interest in the accident being declared your fault. Even for what seems like a minor fender-bender, there needs to be a legal record of the accident for you to file an insurance claim, and the damage to your vehicle (and your injuries) may be more extensive than appears to be the case.
If you leave the scene of an accident in which someone else was injured, that will look very bad to a judge and jury, no matter what your reasons were. It’s unsafe.
Especially if you know you’ve been injured, the safest course of action is generally to wait for an ambulance, rather than drive yourself. The injuries could cause your ability to drive to be impaired, and you could even black out on the way to the hospital, which could cause an even more devastating accident. EMTs know how to transport you safely, minimizing the risk of additional injury, and if something does go wrong in transit, they’re there to treat you.
Remember that you have a legal responsibility to act as safely as possible, and to not leave an accident for which, as far as anyone but you knows, you are to blame. You also have a responsibility to yourself to make sure that your version of the story goes into the record books, and that your injuries are properly treated and documented.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident, contact one of our South Bend personal injury lawyers today. We’ll fight for you.
