Life in the Fast Lane – Unique Tech Savvy Things To Know If You Are In A Car Accident By: Jason Neufeld, Esq., Personal injury attorney with Neufeld, Kleinberg, and Pinkiert, P.A. Sunny South Florida - the land of Ferrari’s, convertibles, cruising down A1A or I-95; coupled with tourists and ‘snowbirds’.  However, according to the most recent report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, every time you get behind the wheel, you are at risk of being involved in a car accident. According to the latest statistics in Florida, there were 235,778 traffic crashes in 2009 alone. That means that, on average, there were 646 crashes each day.  Knowing how to minimize the chaos if you or a loved is ever in an accident is important and leveraging the abundance of technology at our disposal can help. A car accident is one of the most common ways in which people are injured, with the potential to inflict a great deal of emotional, physical and financial pain. An experienced personal-injury attorney, however, can help you recover any financial loss associated with an injury sustained in a car accident, as well as navigate the ‘red tape’ involved with insurance companies. Obviously, the advice provided below applies to those who are not seriously injured or immobilized. Read on for key points to know about how to react to a car accident how technology can help when an accident occurs: 1.  Get to a Safe Location and Report the Car Accident As soon as the airbag has deflated, and if practicable, turn on your hazard lights and locate your cell phone to dial 911 – or your emergency assistance equivalent. After contacting emergency assistance, stay at the scene of the accident until the police have reviewed and investigated the incident. Make sure to write down the police officer’s name, phone number and incident or police report number. You or your lawyer will want to request a copy of the police report at a later date. Drivers involved in minor accidents with no serious injuries should carefully move cars to the side of the road and out of the way of oncoming traffic. Leaving cars parked in the middle of the road or busy intersections can result in additional accidents and injuries. Make sure to turn on hazard lights and set out cones, flares or warning triangles if possible. If practicable, carefully assist those who are more injured than you. Helpful i-Phone, Blackberry, or Android Application: -         AAA’s legendary roadside assistance is available easily through the AAA Roadside application. Select the type of breakdown and AAA assures your information is delivered to a local roadside problem-solving technician for a quick response. The application also confirms your request and provides information on nearby locations of AAA approved auto repair shops.(Price = free with AAA membership) -         iFirstAidLite – this app contains voice instructions, a CPR timer and includes essential first aid information pertaining to CPR, bleeding, burns, choking and more. (cost = free) -         Emergency – change default numbers in this app to directly dial your local police, fire department or ambulance service. Also lets you send an emergency text message, including your latitude and longitude. (cost = free)   2. Exchange Car Insurance and Driver Details After an accident, always exchange driver details and take some accident notes. Be sure to gather the following information: •name (make sure the drivers license matches the name of the insurance holder, if they are different, be sure to obtain the name of the insured) •address •phone numbers •driver license •license plate number •insurance company and policy number •a description of the vehicle, including the make, model, and color.  Helpful i-Phone, Blackberry, or Android Applications: -An excellent iPhone application to gather the essential information is C.A.R. C.A.R. assists you to collect all necessary information through an innovative built-in multi-media interface. C.A.R. also links into Google Maps so that you can tag the accident scene using the embedded Google Map kit. (cost = free)   iWrecked is a full-featured accident resource for easily logging all details and information after being involved in an accident. It assists in taking photographs of the accident scene and generates a detailed, professional-looking accident report to assist with an insurance claim. It can also assist in locating a nearby taxi and/or towing company. (cost = free)   -iTranslator – It is important to be able to speak numerous languages living in South Florida. In the event you are in an accident and are unable to communicate with the other party, iTranslator can help you properly communication to obtain the necessary information. (cost = free) 3. Locate Any Witnesses Determine whether there are witnesses to the accident and try to obtain their name and number. If the accident occurs on the highway, it is best to stay inside the vehicle (provided it is on the shoulder of the road) and let the police conduct the appropriate paperwork. If you don’t have pen and paper to write down a witness’s information or comments, send yourself an email or text message(s) or use your PDA’s note taking feature to memorialize any pertinent conversations and relevant information obtained from 3rd parties. 4. Do Not Admit Fault When you come face-to-face with the driver of the other vehicle, try not to assign blame or admit fault or liability, even if you think you made the mistake. Let your attorney, the police and insurance companies do their jobs and use their tools to come to a conclusion. You do not want to admit to something in a state of shock.   5. Do Not Discuss Injury Concerns While at the Scene Do not discuss the accident with the other parties involved in the accident. If someone asks, “How are you doing?” keep a low profile by saying, “I’m shaken up.” It is difficult to properly determine any injuries at the early stages immediately following an accident (as some injuries will not become symptomatic for days). Additionally, you want to avoid making any statements, while in your state of alarm, which you later have to refute following obtaining proper medical attention. 6. Photograph and Document the Accident Phones are a great tool to assist in documenting the accident by utilizing the phone’s camera or video camera features. Assuming you are in a safe location, take photographs of the damage to your car, the other driver’s car, and the entire accident scene to give perspective of the event. Take wide shots of tire skid markings to show vehicle travel paths. 7. Seek Medical Attention As small as an injury might seem at the time, go to the emergency room, be sure to document all health and pain-related concerns as soon as possible. This may help make your claim to the insurance company. 8. Report Your Accident to a Personal Injury Lawyer As soon as your nerves have settled and you have gone to the doctor to get checked over, call a reputable personal-injury attorney so that they can properly handle the maneuvering of insurance issues.  Make sure that your attorney is aware of every piece of mail, email, or phone call that comes from the insurance company. Often insurance companies will try to get you to release “any and all claims” and lead you to believe that you are only settling the property damage portion of your case. Before you sign anything, check with your attorney.  General Car Safety Applications and Websites: -        A recent study from Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that cell phones were the most common driver distraction. It also found that the risk of a crash or near crash was 23.2 times more likely when texting. Textecution is a user-friendly application that completely disables texting while driving. Once Textecution recognizes that the phone is traveling faster than 10mph, Textecution disables the phone's texting feature so text messages cannot be sent or received. Once the phone is at rest, or traveling at a speed slower than 10mph, the texting feature becomes available for use. (Cost = $29.99 one time) -        To avoid a congested highway or busy road, use Beat the Traffic to provide real-time traffic flow on every major roadway around the world. It also provides predictive traffic so you can plan the best and safest course of travel. (Price = free for two week trial, then $19.95 for a year) -        National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.gov) -        U.S. Department of Transportation – Auto Safety Hotline (www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq).   Neufeld, Kleinberg & Pinkiert P.A. serves their injured clients statewide with offices in South and Central Florida. The firm’s attorneys specialize in personal-injury cases, including high-profile automobile negligence and defective design cases. NK&P’s practice area include automobile and motorcycle accidents; medical malpractice; premises liability; defective products; brain injury; and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).  For more information, visit www.nkplaw.com.