Steps to Take After a Pedestrian Accident

The last thing you need to worry about when you set out on foot is the negligent actions of other drivers. Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents are not uncommon in Oakland and surrounding areas. There are important steps that you can take after a pedestrian accident occurs that will ensure your well-being and help improve your chances of recovering compensation if another person was at fault.

Report the Incident to the Police

Pedestrian accidents are often chaotic right after the initial incident occurs. Somebody at the scene needs to notify law enforcement officials by calling 911. Not only does this ensure that the police come to the scene to fill out an accident report and conduct an investigation, but it also gets emergency medical service personnel on the way to the scene for any injured individuals.

Seek Medical Care Right Away

Any pedestrian involved in a vehicle accident needs to seek medical care as soon as possible. Depending on the severity of the injuries, this may mean obtaining medical assistance from EMS and going to the hospital in the ambulance.

However, the signs and symptoms of some pedestrian accident injuries may not show up for quite some time after the incident occurs, but this does not mean there are no injuries. Pedestrian accident victims should go to the emergency room or the doctor as soon as they can for an evaluation, even if they do not feel any pain right away.

Obtain Evidence if You Can

In some situations, it may be possible to gather evidence at the scene of the incident. Individuals can use phones or other types of recording devices to take pictures of any injuries as well as vehicles involved. If there were any cameras on nearby homes or businesses, there may be surveillance footage that can be obtained by an attorney later. Additionally, if there were any eyewitnesses to the incident, their contact information should be written down promptly so they can be contacted later on.

Reach Out to an Attorney

A pedestrian accident lawyer in Oakland can help you through this process. When an attorney gets involved soon after the incident occurs, they can handle every aspect of the claim. This includes continuing the investigation to obtain evidence and handling all conversations with other parties involved. An attorney will be your advocate throughout the entire process so you can focus on recovering from your injuries.

Call Your Insurance Carrier

Your auto insurance carrier needs to know about the incident if you have vehicle insurance. When you make your initial claim with your insurance carrier, you do not have to go into much detail at all. Just let them know that the incident occurred and that you are seeking medical care. Your carrier can initiate the claim with the other party’s insurance carrier. Your attorney can handle these notifications on your behalf.