Advice

What Should You Do After an Accident?

1. Injuries First!

If anyone is injured, even if they just complain of discomfort, call for emergency assistance immediately. Leave medical decisions to the professionals.

2. Call the Police

You can’t control if the police will come, but documenting the facts of what happened in your accident is much easier with a police report. Don’t let anyone talk you out of calling the police to report the accident.

3. Clear the roadway

Wait until after you’ve called the police to clear the roadway. If the police are coming, you want to give them the chance to document the placement of the vehicles. However, if it’s not safe to leave the cars where they are, move them.

Note: The law does require you to clear a highway or freeway, if possible.

4. Get The Information You Need

You need the full name, driver’s license number, address, and phone number of all drivers involved in the accident. You also need the license plate number of all vehicles in the accident. You also need the name of the insurance company and policy number for every vehicle involved in the accident.

If any vehicle in the accident has commercial signs on it, write down the name of the business and any contact information on the signs.

Ask if all drivers own the vehicle they were driving; if they don’t, get the name, address, and phone number of the owner.

Ask anyone around—who isn’t a driver or passenger—if they witnessed the accident. If so, get their name, address, and telephone number.

5. Take Pictures

Use your cell phone camera if you have to, but take pictures of the scene, the cars, the license plates, the damages to the vehicles, and any visible injuries. It is recommended you keep a disposable camera in your car for this purpose.

6. Gather your Belongings

After all injuries are taken care of, and the police (if any) have come and gone, collect any personal objects from your car if it is going to be towed. If you have to go to the wrecker yard to collect your personal items, bring a camera to get pictures of the damage (if you weren’t able to at the scene).

7. Call an Attorney or Set up a Claim

After verifying if anybody is injured and ensuring their injuries have been cared for, you should consider if you are going to hire an attorney. Attorneys like to get involved as soon as possible, to preserve evidence, statements, and prevent damage to your case from recorded statements or other factors that can affect your claim. The worst decision to make is calling a lawyer if you aren’t happy with how the other driver’s insurance is treating you; by then, it may be too late to effectively represent you. Read more on when and why to hire an attorney.