2. This is a celebrity impersonation, right?

3. That’s on most insurance policies, but it’s not on yours.

4. You didn’t read the fine print, did you?

5. On page 43 of your policy, we let you know that’s not covered.

6. I’m sure you wish you were covered for that.

7. If hopes could be wishes and hopes were dreams. Is that how it goes?

8. Not in California, Dude.

9. Actually, not anywhere, Dude.

10. If we find something, we’ll let you know.

Here are ten useful tips of advice from a truck accident lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a truck accident in Malibu, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learning how we can assist you.

Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it’s probably been at least a few days since the accident. However, if it’s only been a few hours or if you ever have another accident, here’s what you should do the next time from the start.

First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.

Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.

Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.

Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.

Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.

Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.

Seventh, call a good truck accident lawyer as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good truck accident lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good truck accident lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most truck accident attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.

Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.

Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.

Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.

If you’ve had a truck accident in Malibu, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks.Carson, Brentwood, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Camarillo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, Cambria or San Luis Obispo, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Malibu Truck Accident Lawyer and your Pacific Palisades Truck Accident Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.

If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.

A UK commercial fleet insurance company has warned that statistics show that those who use mobile phones when driving are four times more likely to be involved in a collision.

A spokesperson from the British ‘No Excuse’ campaign confirmed these statistics and stated that all phone calls and text messages distract from driving.  The campaign is called the ‘No Excuse’ campaign as drivers with bad habits such as using mobile phones or not wearing a seat belt offer up excuses when stopped.  They try to talk their way out of the situation with elaborate excuses, as if the police would be convinced!

The ‘No Excuse’ campaign which is running in Dorset, UK, revealed that about one-third of those stopped were either using a mobile phone or were not wearing a seat belt.

One classic incident from the campaign was a woman in a silver Vauxhall who was stopped and she told the policeman that she had left her BlackBerry at home so whoever had seen her typing must have been mistaken.  In turn the policeman located her BlackBerry which was connected to Facebook, fined her £60 and told her “I’m sure your Mum told you never to lie to a policeman.”

Distracted driving is on the increase as motorists see their cars as natural extensions of their home and workplaces.  Robert Smith, the road safety manager for Dorset County Council said it used to be “Mirror, signal, manoeuvre” when learning to drive but now it is “Mirror, signal, makeup.”

Over the water in the States, in 2008 at any given moment, 800,000 American as were making calls or texting using a handheld mobile phone.  In the same year nearly 6,000 Americans were killed by distracted driving.

For a younger person, talking on a mobile phone while driving can make their reaction time as slow as that of a 70 year old person.  Given that 56% of teenagers admit to talking on mobiles while driving and another 13% admit to texting while driving this does not make for a safe situation.

Talking on mobile phones is the cause of almost 25% of car accidents, while 4 out of every 5 accidents are attributed to distracted drivers.  Drunk driving causes 1 out of 3 accidents.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Motorists, USA, conducted a study which found that motorists who use mobile phones while driving are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough cause an injury.

The message from this concerned commercial fleet insurance company is Dial Before You Drive Not While You Drive.  More detailed information can be found at the Dial Before You Drive information hub.