Getting into a car accident can be life-changing. Many people who actually go through such a traumatic event, do so without knowing what rights and responsibilities they have – usually because of a lack of awareness and understanding of the rights of cyclists/pedestrians and or motorists and automobile insurance laws.
We spoke to Dana Reyes, lawyer, and founder at Reyes Tam Law, to talk about what to do after a car accident. She was kind enough to spend some time sharing her knowledge with us.
“Gathering evidence will unlikely be the first thought following a car accident, but it is crucial to do so from the moment of impact”, says Dana.
- When you meet with an accident, try to remain calm, review your surroundings, and check for injuries. If you are hurt, call for an ambulance. If you decide not to call for an ambulance but have significant property damage to your vehicle, call the police anyway even if you do not have visible injuries.
- If there is a third party involved, obtain their driver’s license, auto insurance policy information, and license plate number immediately. In the age of smartphones and savvy devices, all it takes is one click.
- It is important to stay vigilant. Take videos and photos of the accident scene and information about any witnesses in your surroundings. This is especially important if you believe another party was responsible for the accident and they may be denying liability. Obtain any dash-camera footage, witness phone numbers, and take note of how traffic is regulated in the area and specific traffic rules.
- In Ontario, the concept of contributory negligence can affect your right in making a claim for damages. The idea behind this concept is that even if the accident was due to the other person’s actions or inactions, you may still be found partially responsible depending on your own actions or inactions before or after the accident. i.e. were you wearing your seatbelt at the time of impact?
- Document what happened. If you are healthy enough to speak with the police following the accident, do so. If you are taken directly to the hospital – the chances are the police will soon follow to obtain your statement there. If the police do not attend the scene, go to your nearest collision center and file a self-reporting collision report.
- Most importantly, seek immediate medical attention after the accident. No one wants to be stuck in the emergency room for hours on end but you are your best advocate for medical care. Go to your family doctor or urgent care center for assessment. Many impairments may not necessarily present themselves right away and yet can have lasting, serious health consequences if left untreated by a medical professional.
- Contact your auto insurer within 7 days of the accident. When contacting your auto insurer, it is important to keep in mind that the apology or the admission of fault can take a turn against you. Be polite, courteous, and conscious of your choice of words, and state only what happened. If there is something you cannot recall – do not make a guess and let the insurance adjuster know you cannot recall. Avoid premature statements regarding your well-being such as “I am fine” “I am not that hurt” and “I don’t think it was a big deal”.
- Seek the help of a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible to know your rights and all the options available to you. At Reyes Tam Law, we specialize in serious motor vehicle, cyclist, and pedestrian accidents. We assess each case thoroughly and will provide you with a free consultation so that you can make an informed decision about your case.
All About Dana Reyes & Reyes Tam Law
Dana Reyes & Reyes Tam Law are multi-time ThreeBestRated® award-winners. Dana has worked exclusively in plaintiff personal injury and insurance litigation for over 12 years. Dana has considerable expertise in litigating complex liability matters and life-altering personal injury claims and has devoted her career to assisting people in obtaining justice. Dana is known for her kind yet honest advocacy, whose prime goal is to make clients aware of the legal process. She stands out for her unique approach that brings the clients 100% professionalism and excellent outcomes.
Unlike other law firms, you won’t be directed to a call center or automated machine to answer your questions. You will speak directly to a personal injury lawyer who will answer your questions, handle your case personally from beginning to end and provide solutions that are tailored to your needs. Reyes Tam Law offers services in a variety of languages including Tagalog, Pangasinan, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tamil, and English. They work with an effective legal and medical network and will come to you at home, or hospital or keep it virtual with personalized service and solutions.
“We put the personal back into personal injury law and strive to make the clients feel comfortable and aware of the legal process. Our commitment is providing personalized representation with maximized results” – says Dana.
The year 2023 plans include Reyes Tam Law expanding their team of formidable lawyers and legal staff size all across the GTA and Ontario to serve you better. On winning the award, the firm comments, “ThreeBestRated® has helped us grow our business exponentially. We have had more success in recognition of our service with ThreeBestRated® than any other platform because of its focus on honest business reviews that come from real people. To learn more, visit the website of Reyes Tam Law: https://reyestamlaw.ca/ or email Dana directly at dana@reyestamlaw.ca
About ThreeBestRated®
ThreeBestRated® was created in 2014 with the simple goal of finding the top 3 local businesses, professionals, restaurants, health care providers, and everything in-between, in any city. Every business is meticulously handpicked by our employees. We check business’s reputation, history, complaints, ratings, proximity, satisfaction, trust, cost, general excellence, reviews, and more, using our 50-Point Inspection. We only display businesses that are verified by our employees. Other places will call this “hard work” and “unnecessary”. We call it “due diligence” and “the right thing to do”. Our website is updated on a regular basis for quality and the latest business information.
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