Whenever you get in your car to drive and go somewhere, you are at risk of getting into a fatal or injurious car accident. An unexpected car accident can change your life in an instant and make it hard to get back to your normal routines.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, 2.1 million emergency room visits occurred because of car accident-related injuries. If you recently got hurt in a car accident, take the following steps to protect your interests.
Seek medical attention
Even if you did not get seriously hurt in the car accident, see a doctor. Seeking medical care can catch any unseen injuries and help you treat injuries that may not seem serious now but could have lasting effects.
Write down your account
As soon as possible following the collision, write down what happened in the accident from your viewpoint. Do not wait too long to do this, as your memory of the details will lessen as more time passes.
Document your recovery
Spend a few minutes every day detailing your recovery process. Write down how you feel, what you are unable to do from your injuries and what kind of effort you put into the recovery process on a daily basis.
It can take time to recover from a car accident and feel like life has returned to normal. Do not put too much pressure on yourself as you work on recovering from the accident and wait to go back to work, school and other activities until you have your physician’s permission.
