The Definitive Car Accident Injury Guide (2023)
What To Do After A Car Accident
Tampa Car Accident Lawyer Matt Powell, Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer and founder of the law firm MattLaw™ has written this guide to fully explain the law, and the process of making a personal injury claim after a car accident.
The ultimate guide of what you need to know and do if you have been injured in a car accident. Step by step Matt Powell explains what to expect, and how to maximize your full and fair recovery, and avoid traps that can cost you tens of thousands of dollars.
MattLaw™ has handled thousands of serious car accident injury cases. And he knows how to help you protect and preserve the value of your case.
Read this definitive guide of what to do after a car accident if you want the bottom line about how to maximize your car accident injury claim.
If you have a question, and would like a free confidential consultation, call attorney Matt Powell at MattLaw 813-222-2222.
The Definitive Car Accident Injury Guide (2023) What to Do
#1 Chapter One - Introduction and Overview
Why You Should Read MattLaw’s Definitive Car Accident Guide
Why You Should Read MattLaw’s Definitive Car Accident Guide:
I have learned over the past 30 years of helping personal injury victims that the more my client understands the process of a personal injury case, the better they will do. By knowing when they are making a mistake and how to avoid them they can get their claim resolved quickly, efficiently, and in the way that is best for them. And if they run into a difficult or unfair insurance company or a nasty claims adjuster, they know what to do to maximize their recovery. I am a trial lawyer. I started out representing numerous insurance companies. But I soon realized that I lacked the callousness to allow me to represent at fault corporations and wrong doers. I could not take orders from insurance companies or their claims adjusters. So I set off on my own after only 6 months of insurance defense work. I am glad to say that I have never looked back. I have found my passion in helping people solve difficult problems caused by wrongdoers. So I share my thoughts and observations with you in hopes that you can resolve your injury claim without having to hire a lawyer. But if you need help, I am here for you.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about your rights. Matt Powell
Unfortunately there are more than 500 car crashes every day in Florida.
The average American will be involved in one serious car crash once every 17 years.
By knowing your rights and understanding the process of how to make a car accident claim you will be able to protect yourself and your family from costly mistakes.
You must understand:
The legal process
The insurance process
The medical process
of your personal injury claim.
By following these simple steps you can avoid making mistakes that may cost you tens of thousands of dollars.
#2 What To Do After A Car Accident
After a crash here are the important steps to take:
1 Stop, don’t leave the crash site.
2 Call the police. Report the crash. If you think alcohol or drugs are involved, make sure you tell the police about this on the phone. They will act very promptly if they believe there is some criminal aspect of your car crash. Tell them about any known injuries.
3 Render First Aid if you are able to help anyone involved in the crash.
4 Exchange Information: you should provide your driver’s license, vehicle registration and car insurance to the other person(s) involved in the crash. And you should ask for their driver’s licenses, vehicle registration and insurance cards. I suggest you photograph all of them with your smartphone.
5 Take photographs of the vehicles and the scene. Try to locate witnesses who may be willing to share what they saw. Ask them if they would mind explaining what they saw and allow you to record it with their permission on your smartphone.
6 When the police arrive, explain exactly what happened.
7 Get checked out by a doctor right away. Seek a medical specialist to check you out. Don’t guess or assume anything about your injuries. If you guess wrong, you may diminish the value of your case significantly, and possibly make your recovery from your injuries worse.
8 Call MattLaw™ and speak to an experienced Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney to assist you with your case.
#3 Car Accident Collection of And Preservation of Key Evidence to Maximize the Value of Your Injury Case
Collecting and Preserving Key Evidence to Maximize the Value of your Car Accident Case
What makes an insurance company pay any car accident victim money?
Insurance companies only pay money to you when there is EVIDENCE to prove they owe you money. Insurance companies are not in the business of paying full and fair value. They are in the business of paying less than full value.
By collecting evidence early and continuously, until your car accident case is over, you can increase the amount of evidence to force the insurance company to pay you fully and fairly.
Your case can INCREASE in value every single day! 
What Increases the Value of Your Car Accident Case?
One thing: Evidence!
- Evidence of Fault
- Photos of the car accident scene
- Videos of the crash itself
- Eye Witness Statements
- Evidence of Damages
- Medical Treatment
- Promptly after the accident
- See the Right Type of Doctors
- Follow your Doctor’s Treatments
- Get the right Tests
- Changes in your life
- You lose significant income because of serious injuries caused by the accident
- You are unable to participate in activities of daily living
- Friends will help your case and testify about your life before and after your car accident
- Medical Treatment
Your case can DECREASE in value every single day! 
What Decreases the Value of Your Car Accident Case?
One thing: Evidence!
- Losing Evidence of Fault
- Not taking pictures of the accident scene
- Not asking MattLaw™ if we can get the traffic video of the crash
- Losing eye witnesses who could tell everyone that the other driver was the one who violated the safety rules, not you.
- Losing Evidence of Damages
Medical Treatment mistakes:- Not seeking immediate medical attention
- Going to your primary care physician who does not treat accidents, rather than seeing a specialist who will order the right tests and provide the best treatments
- Missing doctor’s appointments because you are too busy
Changes in your Life Mistakes- Social Media Posts
- Not using the MattLaw™ Personal Injury Journal
- Not having co-workers or close friends talk about losses in your personal life.
#4 Evidence At The Crash Scene of Liability And Fault
At The Crash Scene Fault = Liability Evidence
Start collecting Evidence Immediately. If you are not too injured, you should start collecting evidence to win your car crash case immediately.
What evidence should you collect at the scene:
You need to collect the bad DRIVER’S
name of the Driver(s)
address of the Driver(s)
driver’s license number(s)
The Name and address of the Owner of the at fault vehicle
The at fault Driver’s Insurance Company’s Name and Policy Number
The at fault Car Owners Insurance Company Name and Policy Number
The names and contact information for all EYE WITNESSES
Ask Car Accident Witnesses:
What did they see
Who was at fault
Where were they when they witnessed the car accident
What did they hear the other driver say
How can you get in contact with them later if you need help
Take Photographs of “cars and scars”:
Scene
Skid marks
Other involved vehicles
Property damages
Driver’s picture
Traffic control devices, like signs or light sequencing
Ask MattLaw™ to get:
Videos of the crash recorded by nearby surveillance cameras
Videos of the crash recorded by Government Traffic Cameras
#5 Evidence of Damages After The Crash
Evidence To Increase the Value of Your Car Accident Injury Claim
What EVIDENCE can you collect and save AFTER the car accident to increase the value of your car crash case?
DAMAGES EVIDENCE is:
YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS –
YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT EVIDENCE an insurance company will look at to evaluate the amount of money they will pay you for your car accident damages.
Why are medical records so important?
Your Medical Records are the written PROOF, the hard EVIDENCE of your injuries. Your Medical Records are important because these documents are written by highly trained doctors doing the job they were trained to do.
The Diagnosis of the Injuries Caused by the car accident
A List of each of your Injuries caused by the crash
The Severity or Permanency of the Injuries caused by the car crash
The Future Prognosis of each of your injuries.
Your final discharge medical records should include a description about your injuries saying whether your injuries will either improve and get better over time, or your injuries will be permanent and will last a lifetime.
Your medical records should say if you Will Need More medical treatment such as surgery in the future.
Your medical records need to say What Types of Specialists you will need to seek treatment from in order to keep your injuries from getting worse over time
Your medical records need to say What Pre-Existing Conditions you had before your car crash that were made worse by the car accident.
Your medical records should say what Effect your Injuries Caused by the car accident have on your Ability to Work and make a living.
Your medical records need to say how your injuries affect your quality of life outside of work;
Do your car accident injuries affect your activities of daily living?
Do your car crash injuries affect your ability to dress yourself?
Do your injuries slow you down or prevent you from doing chores around your house?
Do your injuries affect your ability to enjoy hobbies?
Your medical records need to say what your future medical needs will be.
Your medical records need to state what the future cost of your treatments will be.
The bottom line is Your medical records are the base, the foundation, of what any insurance company or judge or jury will use to determine the:
extent,
severity and
duration of your injuries.
Your medical records give your attorneys at MattLaw™ and the insurance company adjusters the information they need to assign a value, and justify their evaluation of your damages to make an offer of how much money you should be paid to make up for what you lost in the past, and what you will lose in the future.
Your medical records are one of the biggest value drivers to calculate the amount of compensation you should be paid for your car accident injury claim.
The Bottom line - Your Personal Injury Car Accident Definitive Guide for 2023
Car Accident injuries caused by distracted driver’s is now an epidemic costing billions of dollars for medical care, loss of earnings and disability.
Understanding your rights — Understanding the law —Understanding Insurance can help you avoid making costly mistakes and wasting time.
After a car accident, take these eight simple steps:
1 Stop and don’t leave the scene
2 Call 911 for the police and Fire Rescue
3 Render First Aid
4 Exchange driver’s licenses and insurance information
5 Take photographs of the vehicle and the scene of the crash
6 Explain to the police what happened
7 Go get checked out by a doctor
8 Call MattLaw for a free consultation 813-222-2222
Collecting and preserving evidence is critical to prove fault and damages in your car accident case. Don’t let valuable evidence disappear. Know up front that the police are not there to collect evidence, they just want to write their crash report, and move on to their next call.
Going to the right doctors is the only way to document and prove your injuries. The right doctors will order the right tests, and make sure you get the right treatment for your car accident injuries.
Time is not on your side.
Don’t wait to locate witnesses
Don’t wait to go to the doctor
Don’t wait to call MattLaw
Video evidence can be valuable to prove who was at fault in your crash
Your medical records will be the value driver of your claim.
If you don’t go to the doctor, you won’t have the medical record evidence you need to recover full and fair compensation.
Medical records document your injuries, diagnosis, and prognosis.
If you have more questions, call me, Matt Powell for a Free Consultation
Sincerely,
Matt Powell, Esq.
Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer
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