The 8 Most Important Things To Do After A Car Accident

Whether you are the driver or a passenger involved in a car accident with another vehicle, your immediate reaction is disbelief. It may take you a minute or two to decide what to do next. There are quite a few things you need to do in order to preserve your rights and get the proper medical care you may need.

8 Most Important Things to Do After a Car Crash

There are many things you need to do immediately after a car crash but here are the eight most important ones.

1) Check to see if anyone is visibly hurt or needs immediate medical attention.

Is anyone bleeding? Moaning and groaning? Appear to be unconscious? If so, call 911 immediately and tell them you need an ambulance because people are hurt.

2) Get yourself and all passengers out of danger. Move your car if you can.

If the accident was such that you can still drive your car, move it out of the middle of the roadway to the side to prevent other drivers from running into it and causing more damage. Get all passengers off to the side of the road to protect them from traffic. Put on your hazard lights and set up flares to alert other drivers to slow down.

3) Call the police.

When car accidents are deemed minor, the police may not come, but at least call them to report the accident. When they do show up, note:

• The responding officer’s name and badge number.
• Find out how you can get a copy of the police report.

4) Collect important information from the driver.

You and the driver must exchange insurance information. Also, get the name, address, phone number, car registration information, and driver’s license information from the other driver. If you have your cell phone with you, you can make this easy by photographing these items.

5) Make a note or take a picture of the other car’s license plate.

Compare the license plate to the car registration to be sure they match.

6) Photograph the scene.

If you are able, take photographs of the scene. If you are too badly injured, ask someone to do this for you. Include photographs of:

• The position of the cars if the cars have not been moved.
• Any obstructions that may have interfered with either driver’s ability to see clearly.
• Any skid marks left by either car.
• The damage suffered by each car at the site of the impact.

7) Record your recollection of what happened.

Do this either in writing or by dictating using your voice memo on your phone. Do this as soon as it’s safe to do after the accident happens and include all the details as you remember them.

8) Do not admit fault.

It is an almost automatic response to an accident to say, “I’m sorry.” Avoid saying that. Insurance companies will battle with each other about which party was at fault for the car accident. If you are deemed to be any percentage at fault, your damages award at trial will be reduced according to the percentage of fault attributed to you. You, of course, are sorry the accident happened, but saying I’m sorry can be interpreted to mean you believe you were at fault. Say nothing other than what is required to exchange information and determine if anyone needs an ambulance.

Contact Us at Owens Law Office

If you were injured in a car crash, you need the assistance of a personal injury attorney who can help you collect all the damages to which you are legally entitled. At Owens Law Office in Oklahoma City, we offer a free consultation. Contact us as soon as possible so a lawyer can begin helping you with your case.