What to do after a car crash in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, and across Michigan
I want to share a personal story from this weekend. On Saturday, I was running errands around town. First, I was driving down Constitution and had to swerve around a work vehicle that was stopped in the middle of the road, doing sewer repairs, without putting out appropriate warning signals. I drove by this vehicle twice in about an hour, so it was a prolonged hazard.
Later, I was driving down Milham and a woman flew out of a parking lot, almost sideswiping my car. Once again, I had to swerve to avoid a crash.
There are two takeaways from this: 1. Always drive defensive, but 2. realize that you can be the victim of a car crash at any time.
With that said, here is what you should do if you were injured in a car crash. First, you should get to a safe location and call the local police department. They should come out, assess the damage, assign fault, and may also assist you with receiving medical assistance.
Next, if you need medical assistance, get yourself checked out at the hospital. You may require follow-up visits to your PCP and/or other medical specialists.
Additionally, make sure that you notify your car insurance company so that they can assess the damage to your car, and yourself. Then, if you have suffered a serious bodily injury, once you feel up to it, you should contact a personal injury attorney like myself. The attorney should provide you with a free consultation, learn about the crash and your injuries, and provide you with their opinion on proceeding with a bodily injury claim under Michigan law. In most cases, the attorney should be able to work on your behalf to reach a fair settlement with the insurance company without ever having to file a lawsuit. Unfortunately, sometimes, a lawsuit will need to be filed in order to get you the compensation – and justice – that you deserve.
If that happens to you, please contact me at (616) 613-6777 or pschinkai@schinkailaw.com for a free consultation and to discuss your options.
