Auto accidents on Alabama roads and highways are responsible for a significant number of injuries and fatalities every year. Your number-one priority if you are involved in a serious car accident should be to protect your health and get immediate medical attention. However, a secondary concern after a motor vehicle accident should be to ensure that you are in the best possible position to seek compensation for your injuries, and property damage, at a later date.

Although no one ever wants to be involved in a motor vehicle accident, the good news is that Alabama law allows you to file a personal injury lawsuit and seek damages when another motorist is negligent and causes the car crash. The key to winning your lawsuit will be having an experienced personal injury attorney on your side and making sure that you take certain steps in the immediate aftermath of your accident.

Here are a few things you should consider doing if you’re ever in a car accident in Alabama:

Get Medical Attention

Don’t take any chances when it comes to your health. Get medical treatment from a qualified professional. And keep in mind that certain injuries, such as whiplash and head trauma, don’t always manifest symptoms until hours or even days after the accident.

Call The Police

You are going to need to report the car crash to law enforcement and obtain a police report on the accident. The accident report will help with your insurance claim.

Stay At The Accident Scene

Don’t leave the scene of an accident without first notifying law enforcement and talking to a police officer. Not only could it hurt your personal injury lawsuit later on, it is also a crime that can potentially lead to a traffic ticket or even criminal charges.

Get Contact Information

Make sure that you get contact information for the other motorist, the police officer who responds to the accident, and any witnesses who saw what happened.

Take Photographs

A picture is worth a thousand words. So if you can, try to take time-stamped photos at the accident scene. Since the evidence can quickly disappear after the crash, these photographs could be enormously helpful later when you file a claim with your insurance company or file a lawsuit against the other motorist.

Were you injured in a car crash that was caused by a negligent motorist? You may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries. Contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Salter & Ferguson to schedule a free consultation about your case.