Nothing can douse the holiday spirit faster than being involved in a car accident, especially one in which you or a loved one is injured.
Yet, iced roads and too much holiday drinking too often do lead to accident and injury. For those who become accident victims, Robert Aronov & Associates, a leading New York personal injury law firm, offers these common sense suggestions.
1. First and foremost, seek immediate medical treatment. Too often, accident victims delay seeing a medical professional because they hope their aches will go away by themselves or because they don't want to take the time out of holiday festivities to get a proper medical evaluation.
But sometimes serious injuries do not immediately present due to the shock and disorientation that follow an accident. The best precaution is always to be evaluated by a competent medical professional.
2. Neither accept nor assign blame on the spot. In the immediate aftermath of an accident, it is no time to try and make clear-headed evaluations of who did what. Often "fault" does not become evident until a third-party, trained investigator can consider all the facts.
Accident victims should cooperate to the best of their ability with on-scene law enforcement personnel. But stick to the facts as you know them, without assigning those facts value judgments such as whose fault you think the accident was.
3. Get to know and trust a personal injury lawyer before you ever need one. The immediate aftermath of an injury-related accident is not an ideal time to go "shopping" for an attorney. Look for an experienced lawyer who will fight to protect all of your legal and financial interests. It might be wise to keep the name of the attorney and law firm in your vehicle with your insurance papers.
4. Do not discuss a "settlement" of your injury claims without first consulting a qualified personal injury lawyer. Personal injury lawyers are your advocates who will ensure that you do not forfeit your legal rights by settling prematurely with insurance companies or those who have caused your injuries.
5. Drive defensively. The best way to deal with an injury accident is to avoid it in the first place. Remember to leave extra space between your car and others in inclement weather. Be extra careful at intersections, where other drivers may not be able to stop on iced roads or may run lights due to in-car distractions. And, of course, never drive after you yourself have been drinking. Even if you are not legally drunk, alcohol may slow your reaction times.