What You Should Do if You Are involved in a Car Accident
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It is unfortunate that most people don't know what to do when they are involved in an accident. My own mother was recently in an accident, and she called me frantically asking what she should do. Knowing what to do is important for protecting your health and protecting your interests with the other drivers and the insurance companies. This is true even if you are at fault.
The most important thing after an accident is your safety. If you, the other driver or any of the passengers are seriously injured, make sure you summon help. Call 911, the one stop phone call for police and ambulance. If no one involved has any apparent injuries, it is still advisable to make a non-emergency call to the police department and request police presence at the scene of the accident. In most cities, including Las Vegas (and the surrounding areas), you may dial 311 for non-emergency police dispatch.
In case of injuries and/or property damage, the police presence is very important so that a police report can be prepared and later used in obtaining the appropriate compensation from the appropriate insurance company or companies, even if it's your own insurance provider. Compensation may cover medical treatment, property damage, loss of wages and/or pain and suffering.
If the police are called, through a 911 emergency call or 311 non-emergency call, the police will insure that all of the appropriate information is reported in the police report. If there is no apparent injury or property damage, and/or if the police do not come to the scene of the accident, then exchange information with the other driver. Obtain the name of the driver, the car registration information and the insurance carrier and policy number. Provide your information to the other driver.
Do not make any statements other than facts, and only to the police, pertaining to the accident and how the accident occurred. Do not make any statements about your state of health; remember that many injuries may be latent injuries that may not manifest themselves immediately. Contact a personal injury attorney immediately; do not communicate with the other party's insurance company or report your accident to your insurance company before you consult with a personal injury attorney. In most cases the attorney assumes the responsibility to make such contacts on your behalf, but will tell you if you should make contacts of any kind. Remember that it is in the interest of the insurance companies to understate the injuries and damage cause by an accident, so that they pay the least amount of compensation. The attorney knows how to deal with the insurance companies and get you the compensation you deserve. The more serious the accident, the more important it is that you contact a personal injury attorney.
Ramzy Ladah, Esq.
Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney, PLLC
People go to Las Vegas to have fun in its many entertainment centers like casinos, clubs and resorts. However, not all fun times end happily; everyday, people get arrested for drunk driving after having a bash at the gaming table, bar or party. If this happens to you, there is one very important thing to remember: get a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney. Nevada laws are complicated enough an outside legal counsel sometimes can get them wrong so a Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer will be your best bet to get through the charge.
Driving under the influence of liquor (DUI) is considered a misdemeanor in Nevada laws unless it caused a graver offense, such as a car accident that killed someone. In such a case the DUI becomes a felonious act, vehicular manslaughter, with appropriate heavy fines and substantial jail sentence. Even if DUI remains a misdemeanor, it can affect the person in other ways, such as losing the driver's license, difficulties in getting housing loans, lower credit score, and limited access to higher education, among many. It is therefore important that a person under a DUI charge seek competent legal assistance in protecting and defending him in court, to at least lessen the penalties if not to exonerate him.
There are several methods how to engage a good criminal lawyer to help you in your distress, but first you must find him. Use the directory. Check the city or state's Yellow Pages, scanning the display ads for likely candidates to long-list. Online directories or search are also a big help, especially if you refine your search to only DUI lawyers. Many sites include information on what significant cases they have won as promotional material, so you can research on these cases further, either again online or via asking people.
Lawyer directories or bar associations are also good sources of who to contact in the area. Ask friends, acquaintances and even the locals. Hotel Personal Injury Lawyer Las Vegas bartenders or managers can be sympathetic to your predicament and point you to the right persons. Often they have inside information based mostly on lawyer reputation, but which can be very effective nonetheless. You can request friends who know people in the city to contact their friends and ask for recommendable DUI or criminal lawyers. You can then contact the lawyer directly.
Observe lawyers in action. A few days of observation on how particular lawyers perform in actual cases can help you determine who is best. Pick court sessions trying DUI cases, and you can obtain a pretty good idea which lawyers are competent, knowledgeable and most likely to win your case.
Interview your shortlisted lawyers. As a final step, you can only gauge the lawyer's interest and capabilities through personal contact. Meet and observe him to see if he is quietly very competent or blustery incapable. No matter how you look at it, a DUI is a blot in your record. The only way to escape it is to prove it wrong. A good criminal lawyer can help you do it.