What to Do When Involved in an Accident Out of State

Accidents can happen anytime and anywhere. Especially when you are unprepared. Being involved in an accident is dangerous and always an inconvenience, but what happens when you are involved in a car accident in another state? 

Car Accident Scenarios

Unfortunately, car accidents are very common, especially when traveling in an unfamiliar location. According to the CDC, around 3 million people are non fatally injured in car accidents each year. 

In most cases, legal action usually needs to be taken where the actual accident occurred. 

 Let’s look at a couple of common scenarios. 

What happens if you are from Pennsylvania, but you are traveling in Florida and get in a car accident with a local from Florida? Luckily, this a pretty easy scenario. Legal action will need to take place in Florida.  

Now, let’s say you are from Pennsylvania and traveling in Florida, but get in a car accident with someone in Florida who is actually from Texas. Now, what do you do? Well, this might sound complicated, but most likely the case will take place in Florida. However, it might complicate things a little more and be considered a multi-state accident, involving more parties. 

Steps to Follow After an Accident

It doesn’t matter where the car accident took place, always follow the same steps for your best interest.

- Call the police and call for medical help. The safety of yourself and all involved is most important. Then, get all your ducks in a row by giving a statement and filing a police report.

- Contact your insurance company and a personal injury attorney to start filing a claim. Make sure to also get contact and insurance information of involved victims.

- Remember to always take photos, information of all involved in the car accident, and witness statements to help protect yourself and move forward with a successful claim.  

Moving Forward with a Claim

After getting into an accident, it is time to move forward with a claim. Make sure you are familiar with the jurisdiction that the accident occurred in. 

Keep in mind, some claims could be moved to federal court if federal laws come into play or if costs total more than $75,000. This is something you want to avoid though since these cases are very complicated, costly, and lengthy. 

We understand car accidents can be costly and timely, so to help with the process, it is a good idea to invest in a lawyer where you are from. They can help get you in touch with a lawyer where the accident happened as well. 

Edelstein Law Firm

If you have been involved in a car accident in Philadelphia or another state, contact Edelstein Law today. Our Philadelphia accident lawyers specialize in personal injury and auto accident claims and will aggressively fight for you to get the compensation and justice that you deserve after being involved in a car accident.