Unfortunately, your vacation may not have gone as you planned. In a worst-case scenario, you may have been involved in a car accident on vacation. There are different considerations when an accident happens when you are away from home. To keep you from worrying about dealing with matters on your own, contact an experienced attorney local to the area where the accident occurred.
Inform Your Insurance Company
Make sure that you immediately report the accident to your car insurance company. You may need another vehicle to get home, or you may need accommodation in the area for the short term while you deal with the fallout of the accident. Your insurance company may be able to get you a rental car, and they may even pay for the hotel or your interim arrangements. If you were in a rental car at the time of the accident, report the accident to your insurance company and your insurance company.
Take Care of Your Health and Injuries First
First, make sure to get the medical care that you need in the short term. If you believe that there may be a pressing issue, do not take the attitude that you will worry about it once you get home. The immediate days after a car accident are crucial for getting medical help. If you travel home without seeing a doctor, the insurance company may claim that you delayed your medical care and worsened your condition.
Collect Evidence
If possible, you should take pictures of the accident scene before you leave the area. You do not know when you will return to the area, and the accident scene could be cleared quickly. If you have the physical capacity, it is even more important for you to gather all the evidence possible on your own. However, you may not always be able to collect evidence and investigate on your own, making it much more important for you to contact a lawyer immediately.
Hire a Local Car Accident Lawyer
You must have an experienced car accident lawyer representing you in the jurisdiction where the accident occurred. Many things need to happen locally for you to qualify for the financial compensation that you may deserve. First, and perhaps most importantly, your attorney must conduct a full investigation of the accident, including taking pictures and interviewing witnesses who may have seen what happened. That is only possible when they are local and can access the scene and the necessary people.
It does not matter where you live. If you were in an accident in Virginia with a car driven by a Virginia resident, Virginia law would govern your case. Thus, your attorney needs to be intimately familiar with the processes and procedures in local courts and the Virginia law that governs car accidents.
Further, an attorney is not necessarily able to represent you anywhere. Attorneys are licensed in particular states and can only practice law there. You may have come to Virginia from another state, but the local lawyer you know cannot practice in Virginia. Only a lawyer who is licensed in Virginia can practice here. Your local personal injury lawyer with whom you had a relationship would likely not be licensed in Virginia, and they could not enable themselves to practice here overnight.
Contact Our Virginia Beach Car Accident Lawyers at Anchor Legal Group, PLLC After a Vacation Car Accident
If you need experienced legal help after a vacation car accident, contact our Virginia Beach car accident lawyers at Anchor Legal Group, PLLC. Call us today at 757-LAW-0000 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation with one of our attorneys. Located in Virginia Beach, we work with clients in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, and Eastern Shore, Virginia.