Personal Injury FAQs – Hear from Charles Wakefield, personal injury attorney with over thirty years of experience:
At Wakefield Law, we have been representing individuals who were injured in vehicle and premise accidents throughout Northern Virginia for over 30 years. In that time, we have assisted clients to move smoothly through the process of taking care of their own health, resolving issues around missing work and repairing a damaged vehicle, negotiating with insurance companies, and getting paid fair compensation to make up for losses, inconvenience, and pain. We have also seen clients come to us after months of trying to resolve the impacts of a car accident on their own. Although we are still able to help, we can’t undo the months of worry, stress, pain, and other suffering that our clients have been through before hiring a professional to help guide them through this process. That’s why we are so passionate about making sure that everyone who is injured in an accident through no fault of their own is represented. It’s also why we take on personal injury cases on a contingency basis. You should not have to pay up front to receive professional help navigating a situation you did not create. Let’s dive into what to do if you are injured in a car accident in Northern Virginia.
The most important thing to do after you are struck in a vehicle accident is to pause and take a breath. Even if the accident occurred while you were on your way to work or in a hurry, you don’t need to resolve everything right away. Often, adrenaline and stress caused by an accident can mask any pain or injury you may have sustained. Don’t make any statements about your health or wellbeing. Don’t try to resolve the accident without exchanging insurance information or calling the police to make a report. This will be crucial in the future if you discover you were injured. After an accident, follow these immediate steps:
Pull to the side of the road and stop in a safe place.
Take all precautions to keep yourself and other drivers and passengers safe.
Call the police. If there are serious injuries, immediate medical response can be initiated. Even without serious injuries, the presence of an officer is necessary to make a report about the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Once the officer arrives, remember that everything you say and do will become part of the record of the accident. Tell the officer exactly what happened as you remember it, and do not add any speculation or guesses about facts. Use your phone to take notes about your memories if you are worried about forgetting anything. You can also use your phone to take photos of the other driver’s license and insurance information, the license plate, the area where the accident occurred, the damage to all vehicles, and anything else that may be helpful.
If the police officer asks you if you are injured, answer honestly. If you are not sure whether you are injured, it is ok to say that you are not sure. Remember that adrenaline often masks pain immediately following a stressful event, so you may not feel an injury right away.
Before leaving the scene, make sure that you exchange information with the other driver, any witnesses, and the responding police officer. Names, phone numbers, and insurance information of the other driver will be essential information moving forward. If you are transported by ambulance, you will not be able to collect this information, but you should be able to obtain it from the responding officer.
In the hours and days after the accident, keep a close watch on your health. If you begin feeling pain, nausea, soreness, headache, or any other symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. Make sure that you tell the healthcare provider about the circumstances surrounding the accident so that they can properly diagnose and provide care. Keep any documents that you receive from the medical provider, including receipts, notes, and prescriptions. Remember, your health is the absolute most important thing after an accident. Do not wait to receive medical attention. It is ok to use your health insurance at the time. Even if you do not have insurance, getting treatment right away is essential. You can worry about paying for care and getting reimbursed by the other driver’s insurance company at a later date.
Worrying about how your medical care will be paid for does not need to be part of the equation. Instead, you can pass off any concern about getting reimbursed from other insurance companies, paying for care, repairing your vehicle, and advocating on your own behalf to an experienced attorney who has done all of this before. At Wakefield Law, our experienced team has been serving Northern Virginia residents who have been injured in accidents for over 30 years. What do we do to help?
We first hear your side of the story. If you have any documentation, including medical records, accident reports, contact information, and photos, you can hand them over to us to be part of your file.
We then take the time to gather and organize all of the information necessary to best advocate for your needs. This includes gathering medical records, receipts, accident reports, witness statements, officer statements, vehicle damage reports, information on all insurance sources, and more.
If you are in need of medical treatment, we work with you to make sure that you get all necessary care. If paying for care is an issue, we can often negotiate with the medical facilities to make sure you get the care you need.
If your vehicle is damaged, we make sure that you get the repairs and/or compensation you need. We also make it our mission to get you reliable, safe transportation immediately, so that you can get back to your life. (We don’t charge to help you with your property claim).
We take care of all of the negotiation and back-and-forth with insurance companies, medical facilities, auto repair shops, and law enforcement so that you do not have to get bogged down in the details.
With just one point of contact, we are here for you whenever you need support, to answer questions, and to make sure that you are fully up-to-date on what is happening with your claim.
With 30 years of personal injury experience under our belts, we are able to secure the best possible settlements on behalf of our clients. If a fair settlement cannot be obtained, our firm will litigate your claim in court. We make sure that all of your medical and transportation needs are met before resolving your claim. We want to make sure that you are made whole as much as possible after an accident that was not your fault.
As we mentioned, we believe that it is essential that every individual has an experienced advocate representing them after an accident. Even drivers in minor accidents with relatively minor injuries can lose out when they try to take on insurance companies on their own. However, we know that not everyone is able to pay out of pocket for professional legal services, especially right after an accident that may have cost you in work hours, transportation costs, and medical bills. That’s why we perform legal services for personal injury matters on a contingency basis. That means we don’t get paid until you do. Instead of tracking our hours and sending you bills for our time, we simply earn a percentage of funds that we are able to recover on your behalf.
At Wakefield Law, our lines are always open for complementary consultations. No need to hesitate to ask for help. We would love to talk through your situation and see if we might be a good fit to help you navigate your personal injury matter. Give our office a call at (703)771-9740.