What to Do after a Pedestrian Accident in Long Island

If you are wondering about what to do after a pedestrian accident in Long Island as either a plaintiff or witness, know that a dedicated injury attorney can help to guide you through the steps necessary to ensure that the negligent driver is held responsible for their actions. Read on to learn more about what to do after a pedestrian accident in Long Island, as well as the ways a professional lawyer could represent your best interests today.

Initial Steps to Take

When considering what to do after a pedestrian accident in Long Island, the first step to take is to make sure that emergency medical services are on the way. That means that somebody has called an ambulance if there is an injury as well as the police, even if there is no injury. The police officer will take down information pertaining to the accident in a report that can be used as valuable evidence when establishing liability. In addition, being seen by a doctor as soon as possible will help link the pedestrian’s injuries to the accident’s events. Testimony from a medical professional is held in a very high regard in court, and can prevent an insurance adjuster from trying to state that the plaintiff’s injury occurred sometime before or after the accident instead.

Seeking Medical Attention

From a common sense point of view, an individual will want to seek medical attention immediately so they can get their injuries treated in a timely fashion and they do not progress into something even worse. From a legal point of view, it is always better to have consistency immediately after the accident to show credibility. Somebody, as an example, who goes to the hospital immediately after the accident as opposed to four days after the accident is much more likely to be believed about their injuries than somebody who does not go immediately.

Hit-and-Run Accidents

When considering what to do after a pedestrian accident in Long Island who was harmed by a hit-and-run driver, it is important to realize that the car could still potentially be tracked down in the future. Somebody who leaves the scene of an accident is committing a crime and could be arrested for their actions. If somebody is unable to take a picture of the license plate number or the car itself, a description of the car’s make, model or color can still be useful. A dedicated attorney could attempt to pull footage from a nearby surveillance camera or traffic light to identify the driver, as well as using witness testimony for assistance.

Gathering Evidence

If individuals are wondering about what do after a pedestrian accident in Long Island in order to help law enforcement, they could potentially collect information from the scene of the accident. While the police will often carry out this task, sometimes they do not collect all of the information necessary to help prove one’s case. If one is able to, a pedestrian could take pictures of the scene and take down the contact information of any witnesses involved. They might want to memorialize what the driver said to them right after the accident if they apologized and admitted fault for driving in a negligent manner. The easiest way to memorialize a statement is to write down, or even type it out in a text message. In this way, the statement can be used as evidence later on.

If you have any questions regarding what to do after a pedestrian accident in Long Island, reach out to a qualified injury lawyer today for professional representation.