Car accident doctor – how to solve all your problems in one click

It is hard to imagine that something ‘good’ came out of the COVID-19 pandemic but surprisingly, there are a few things that improved during these trying times. One of these things that we would like to mention that pertains to this article, is the decrease in traffic-related injuries and deaths during 2020.

According to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, there was a 3% decrease in traffic-related deaths from 2019 to 2020. The Pandemic was at its peak in 2020 and due to lockdowns and business closures, the traffic decreased drastically compared to other years. Shortly after the ‘shelter-in-place’ orders, car accidents drastically fell by 50% across California.
But 2021 brought some hope for us and the low infection rates and effective roll-out of vaccines seems to be enough to ensure that life can continue as normal… or as normal as it had been since the start of 2020 at least. This means that traffic movement has been normalizing and returning to its natural state. But let us inspect what happened to traffic-related injuries and deaths pre-Covid when everything was still normal.
Shockingly, California has the highest rates of deadly road accidents in the nation. According to 2019 data from the Los Angeles Police Department, in Los Angeles alone, there were 54,000 road crashes and 236 traffic deaths. That is about 6 road accidents per hour, or one accident every 10 minutes, of which there is about one fatality every other day!
If we go further back, the statistics revealed that there had been a 32% increase in fatal crashes for the five years preceding the Covid pandemic. Now, if we extrapolate this data to post-Covid, and include the fact that there had been no major preventative measures or prevention strategies implemented since, it is safe to assume that this terrible statistic would continue to grow into the future. 

Important steps to take after an accident

After reading the section above, it becomes apparent that ending up in a traffic-related incident in Los Angeles is not impossible. In fact, it is very probable. Your chances of getting in a traffic accident in Los Angeles are higher than in any other city in the country!
It certainly isn’t a pleasing thought, preparing for an accident but it is one of those unfortunate things that you should consider before it is too late. Similar to writing a will or buying life insurance for yourself, these are emotionally disturbing, yet necessary steps one should strongly consider.
After being involved in a traffic-related accident there are certain steps that you need to take to ensure the safety of yourself, of others, to make sure that you remain on the right side of the law and your insurance.
The first thing you need to do after getting involved in a car accident is to check if you are injured. If you are seriously injured, do not move and instruct others not to move you either. Call 911 or ask someone to call them for you and wait for the emergency personnel to arrive.
Second, check on the well-being of your passengers. If there are any injuries, call 911 or ask someone else to do so if you are incapable of doing so. If everyone in your vehicle seems to be unharmed, investigate the other parties that were involved in the accident. If they are seriously injured or incapacitated, call 911 and explain the situation to the emergency response personnel.
Third, depending on the severity of the incident, try to move to safety. If the damage to your vehicle is minimal, like in a fender-bender, try to move your vehicle to the side of the road. If the vehicle is immobile following the collision, get yourself and your passengers to the side of the road if they are able to do so.
Next, make sure that 911 is on the way. If you haven’t called the emergency response units by now, this is the right time to do so. Whether it was just a tiny fender-bender or a terrific collision, it is better to call the police anyway, just to make sure that you stay in the right.
Here are the requirements as directly set out by the Los Angeles Police Department regarding post-collision behavior:

• If anybody is hurt, or any driver is intoxicated call 911. • If there are no injuries, but a hit and run occurred, or any driver is unlicensed, call 1-877-ASK-LAPD to report the accident.

• If there are not any injuries and all parties have a driver’s license exchange information. This involves exchanging driver’s license information, registration, insurance information, and driver’s telephone number. No report will be completed by the LAPD for this type of collision.

• If you have struck a stationary object or parked vehicle provide your information with the owner of the property/vehicle. You can leave your information on a piece of paper on the windshield of the vehicle struck or in the mailbox for the property you damaged. No report will be completed by the LAPD for this type of collision.

• If a traffic collision report had been taken and you would like to obtain a copy of the report call 213-486-8130  

If you had to call the emergency services for whatever reason, wait for them while trying to keep out of harm’s way. If you have emergency road signs that you can place on the road to warn other motorists, now would be an ideal time to do so but do so with extreme caution.
Next, after all the safety measures have been taken into consideration and all parties concerned are safe and taken care of, try to exchange information with the other driver. Make sure that you get the full names and contact information, insurance company and policy number, driver’s license and license plate number, make, model, and color of the vehicle, and the location of the accident.
Lastly, try to document the accident elaborately. Take pictures of the vehicles, the location, identify and write down the names of the police officers, speak with witnesses, and request their names and contact details. Make sure to ask the police officers where you could obtain the accident report afterward.

Post-accident medical treatment

Depending on the severity of the accident, it is highly recommended that you go to your physician for a post-collision inspection, even if you are feeling 100%. So often, the adrenalin surge following an accident disguises the underlying issues that were caused by the collision. Concussion, strained muscles, spine or joint injuries, and even bruises sometimes only become evident after the collision.
The doctor will perform various tests to determine if any immediate problems require urgent treatment.. Common symptoms that a doctor could check for post-collision could include but are not limited to the following:

• Headaches or dizziness
• Neck, Shoulder, or Back Pain.
• Pain in other parts of the body and bruising
• Swelling
• Numbness or tingling sensations
• Mood changes
• Abdominal pain and upset stomach 
• Ringing in the ears
• Painful eye movement

Injuries could worsen over time and it is especially important that you report any signs of health deterioration to your physician after the initial consultation. Whiplash, in particular, could start showing symptoms after a night of sleep or even later the following day.

Why choose St. Andrew’s Medical Center?

The personnel at St. Andrew’s Medical Center in Los Angeles are experts when it comes to dealing with auto collisions. Not only do they know how to assess, diagnose and give the proper prognosis, they are also experienced in dealing with the psychological trauma following an accident.

In addition to the physical care and mental support that they provide during this traumatic and trying time, they will also assist you in legal matters. As a value-added service, they are able to put you in touch with their top-notch lawyers that you can speak with once you are feeling better. The attorneys offer free consultations and would be able to tell you if you are eligible for claiming damages.

If you wish to continue, the initial consultations are free and you won’t ever have to pay anything until you won the case. This is yet another example of how the people at St. Andrew’s Medical Center go the extra mile to make sure that you return to being your happy self in the shortest time possible, with the least amount of stress.

Contact us for more information. We are eager to be of service to you and are standing by to assist you in whatever way we possibly could. 

Recent Posts
Make
An Appointment
  • MON-FRI:
    09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Call Us Now
(818) 988-9090
  • MON-FRI:
    09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Call Us Now
(818) 988-9090
  • MON-FRI:
    09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Call Us Now
(818) 988-9090
Center
Beauty/Wellness
Professional Services
Support
© 2021. All rights reserved.
Powered by

Appointment

Your Information
Full name *
Phone & Email *
treatment info
You will be contacted by one of our representatives within 24-72 hours to confirm your final appointment date and time.
thank you
for your message
Our professional team member
will get back to you shortly
Ok