Video – What Should You Do, Legally, After Getting Injured?

Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Attorneys.Media

“What should a person do, legally speaking, the very first thing after becoming injured? Whether it is a car accident, slip and fall, or anything?”

Andrew Dósa – Personal Injury Attorney – Alameda County, CA

“Well, assuming that they’ve been at the collision scene, and they’ve already exchanged information, insurance information and driver’s license and those sorts of things…afterwards, if they start to feel pain because they have been injured, then the most significant thing for them to do is to make arrangements for healthcare. If they have a physician, they should go see their doctor. If it’s a little more serious, then they may not have a choice. They may be taken by ambulance to the hospital. If they can drive, or if a family member comes and picks them up, then it’s really a matter of what their need may be.

I will say that there’s another significant thing, and that is they have an obligation to contact their own insurance company because their insurance company may be defending them against a claim that they were negligent. And their insurance company also provides services, so they may be able to get a rental car. For example, if the car they’re driving is damaged and not operable. So, there’s a practical side to what they ought to do.

But the third thing I would suggest after making sure they’ve made arrangements for medical care, and contacting their insurance company, is that I would certainly recommend that they, at least, speak with an attorney. Whether they retain an attorney, may depend on whether the case is significant enough for an attorney to be involved. Or really, just that they would make sure that they had a chance to get a consultation and understand what may be involved in the process.”