What Should I Do After a Car Accident?

If you’ve found this post because you’re wondering what you should do after a car accident, you’re at the right place.

At our firm, we speak to car accident victims every day. Over time, we noticed we received many of the same questions. We’ll cover some of those in our blog post today, but we’ve addressed even more at our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Car Accident Insurance Claims.

What Should I do at the Scene of a Car Accident?

After a car accident it is important to try to remain calm. The first priority is to assess if you or any of your passengers are injured. Always call 911 if anyone is in need of immediate medical help. If a person is seriously injured, is unconscious, has neck pain or back pain do not move the person until medical help arrives unless their safety is in danger.

If there is significant damage to vehicles or anyone is injured, call the police and ask that a report be filed. Get a card from the investigating officer and copy of the incident report number. With or without the help of an officer, gather as much information as possible.

What Information Should I Collect at the Accident Scene? 

Gather as much information at the scene as possible. This is a key time for collecting valuable evidence for your case. If you have a camera phone, use it to take lots of photos including:

• damage to the vehicles
• scene of the collision
• location of the street signs and stop lights
• people involved in the collision
• driver’s license of the other drivers involved in the collision
• insurance card of the other drivers involved in the collision
• license plate of the other drivers involved

If you don’t have a camera available, write down as much information about the items in the above list as you can. Also get the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of any witnesses to the collision.

Sometimes, you may be too injured to collect information. If so, see if a witness or passenger can assist. But remember, getting medical care is always your most important task.

Who Should I Talk to at the Scene of an Accident? 

You should talk to the other driver but do not discuss who was at fault for the collision.

As much as possible, stick to exchanging information only. You should also talk to any witnesses to get a summary of what they saw and their contact information. If a police officer investigates, you will need to provide a description of the events to the officer.

You should not talk to the other driver’s insurance company at the scene or at any point without first consulting an attorney. Never provide a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company.

Is it OK to Move My Car from the Scene of an Accident? 

If there are no injuries from the collision or only very minor injuries, you should move your vehicle off the road safely.

Remember to request a free copy of our ebook, The Ultimate Guide to Car Accident Insurance Claims for more information about car accidents. And, if you would like more targeted help about a collision you were recently in, call us! We offer free consultations. These is a no-obligation way to get free legal advice about your accident. In the event we end up working together, you pay us nothing unless we win your case.