Nobody ever wants to wind up being involved in a car accident but there\’s a good chance that at some stage during your life you will be, or somebody close to you will be involved in an accident. No doubt you\’ll probably be quite dazed as a result of the accident but the more you can keep your wits around you the better and the more likely you are to conduct a successful personal injury claim too, if you choose to go down that route. We\’ve listed the steps you should follow in the case that you\’ve been involved in a car accident of whatever kind.
Call The Police
Depending on which State you\’re living in police may or may not attend a car accident where there have been no injuries but these are going to be quite rare, so the reality is that you\’ll need to contact your local police department. Having the police at the scene of the accident can be helpful to your case (if you\’re definitely not at fault) for a number of reasons.
Get Medical Care Immediately
You can\’t take chances with your health so immediately following any car accident you should seek medical attention, even if you feel okay. Far too many people have died of injuries that would have been quite easily treatable if they\’d gone for medical assistance directly after their accident. Always be specific when you\’re visiting your doctor or ER and let them know you were involved in a car accident – this is important from both a medical and legal point of view. Also the longer you take to have any accident-related injuries treated the more difficult it will become for you to prove those injuries were actually caused during the accident itself.
Photographic Proof
You should take photographs of not only your own car and the damage caused to it but every other car that was involved in the accident. If possible take photos from several different angles too – the more detail you can get the better. Even if you only have a camera phone the quality of the images should be enough for your lawyer to work with – a picture says a thousand words after all!
Witnesses
Having witnesses to the accident is important and this is including any passengers you might have in your car, and the drivers and passengers in other vehicles too. Car accidents tend to happen very quickly so it\’s important that you get as much information as you can before people start to move away from the scene of the accident itself. Remember the more information you provide your lawyer with the easier it will be for them to \”convince\” the insurance company that your claim is entirely legitimate.
Move Vehicle From Road
Once the police have documented the incident, interviewed yourself and any witnesses, it\’s then important that you move your car off the road or have it towed away. You may need to take more photographs of the damage to your car later on so make sure it\’s stored in a safe and secure location.
Insurance Information
This is the most important information you\’ll need to gather immediately after the accident. You\’ll need the name of the insurance company and policy numbers for every other driver involved in the collision(s). You\’ll also need to make sure that your own insurance cover is both in force and adequate to provide cover for the accident you\’ve just had. If you can\’t get insurance details from the other drivers at the scene you can always ask for a copy of the police report later and you should find those insurance details you\’re looking for there.
Property Damage Estimate
Even if you\’re 100% sure that your car is a total loss it\’s still important that you get a property damage estimate from at least one mechanic or garage in your area. You need to have them list each item on your car which is damaged and repairable or that is simply damaged beyond repair – this information will make your life a lot easier if you do pursue a personal injury claim.