Seven Legal First Aid Steps for Vehicle Accidents

1. Promptly notify your automobile insurance company

2. Have all sources of insurance benefits professionally evaluated -- automobile policies; group, government, or private health care plans; HMO coverage; Medicare; workers compensation; etc. (you may receive stacked payments and multiple recoveries for medical expenses.)

3. Take photographs of the damage to your vehicle and of your injuries -- cuts, bruises, black and blue marks, swelling, etc.

4. Seek medical treatment for injuries and keep copies of all the bills.

5. Prepare a list of witnesses and draw a diagram of the accident.

6. Keep a daily diary of problems you are experiencing -- pain, headaches, walking, etc. -- and of medications you are taking.

7. Do not discuss the circumstances surrounding the accident with any insurance company until you have talked with a lawyer who accepts personal injury cases.

Depending on the facts surrounding your accident, you may be compensated for:

- Pain and suffering.
- Costs of medical treatment and prescriptions.
- Scarring or disfigurement.
- Loss of current and future income.
- Loss of ability to perform any of the duties of your current occupation.
- Damage to your vehicle and rental costs.

Please feel free to contact our firm, to discuss any other matters that may be puzzling you.

The Law Firm of Lawrence & Smith
3900 University Drive, Suite 320
Fairfax City, VA. 22030
(703)352-8000