If you are ever in an auto accident, there are five things you need to do:
- Call the police. Always, always get a police report, even if you think the injuries aren’t serious or there isn’t that much damage to your car. You should always get a police report. If the other driver says, “I’ll go ahead and pay for your damages, we don’t need to involve the police or the insurance companies,” don’t listen to them. You don’t know that person. You don’t know what can change after you leave the scene of the accident.
- Get the other driver’s insurance information at the scene, if possible. The police report probably isn’t going to be available for several days; however, if you get the insurance information, you’ll get a head start on getting in touch with the other person’s insurance company, and getting your vehicle repaired and getting into a rental car, if needed.
- Take pictures. You are never going to see the other driver’s car ever again. Take some pictures. Your car is likely going to be repaired following the accident; take pictures while it’s damaged. If there are some things at the scene such as skid marks or signs that are damaged, or anything that shows what happened in the accident, take pictures. If you have some visible injuries (i.e., scratches and bruises), take pictures. The insurance company will likely have you take your car or send someone to look at your car, and their pictures may not show all the damage that your pictures show. Take pictures!
- Medical Attention. Get medical attention as soon as possible. Go to the emergency room or urgent care facility. Get those injuries documented. It’s very important.
- Contact an experienced personal injury attorney. If you need some follow-up medical treatment, hire a car accident attorney to represent you and your case.
