Huntington Beach Car Accident Lawyer: 5 Things to Avoid After a Crash

Getting into a Huntington Beach car accident can be very stressful and quite costly in terms of time, money, and emotional energy. In addition, you may be injured and suffer from physical injuries that can change your life—temporarily or permanently. It is helpful to know the proper steps to take after a car crash in order to protect your interests. In addition, it is useful to know what steps you should avoid if you are involved in an accident. Following are five things you should not do after a Huntington Beach car crash:

1. Leave the Scene of the Accident – Never leave the scene of an accident that caused an injury, damage to another car, or property damage of any kind. Penalties can be severe for leaving an accident scene.
2. Lose Your Temper With the Other Driver – While it is tempting to get angry with a driver you feel caused the accident, try to keep your cool so you can focus on protecting your legal interests.
3. Say You Have no Injuries – You may feel fine at the accident scene since adrenaline almost always masks the symptoms of an injury. However, you should never tell the investigating police officer or anyone else that you are not injured since you cannot possibly know at the time that an accident takes place. You may start experiencing injury symptoms a few hours later, or the next day, or what is most common is severe symptoms show up the morning of the second day after the collision.  If you do feel pain, see your doctor immediately.
4. Admit Responsibility for the Accident – While you may think the accident was your fault, you may be unaware of mitigating circumstances. You should never admit responsibility for the accident to the police, the other driver, your insurance company, or anyone else. However, when questioned by the police or your insurance company about the accident, you should answer completely and truthfully as to what took place but never admit fault.
5. Lie to the Police or Insurance Company – You should never lie to the police or your insurance company. Harsh penalties are associated with lying to police and it is illegal to attempt to defraud your insurance company.

Getting into a Huntington Beach car crash is stressful and you need to keep your wits about you in order to deal with the aftermath of the accident. When dealing with a crash, keep the five items listed above in mind to protect your interests and achieve the best possible outcome.

Afterwards, if you need experienced legal assistance to help you deal with medical bills, lost wages, expensive vehicle repairs, and insurance companies pushing for a quick settlement, contact a Huntington Beach car accident lawyer at Russell & Lazarus. The toll free number is (949) 851-0222 and the case review is free. You can also download a free copy of their book, The Nuts and Bolts of Litigating a Personal Injury Claim, for more information. Contact Russell & Lazarus soon—you will be glad you did.