What to Do After an Auto Accident
Contact 911 and seek immediate medical attention for any injuries. The sooner a doctor can assess you, the sooner you can start getting better and you will be maximizing the chance you have a full recovery. Also, the value of your case will decrease the longer you wait to get medical care, so don’t delay.
Call the police: This will make sure you have all of the insurance information and information from witnesses. The police will ensure you have the correct insurance policy information, which attorneys cannot otherwise obtain. Further, the police can create a record of how the crash happened, note the point of impact of the vehicles and the damage involved, record the location of any debris from the crash, interview witnesses, and test for drunk driving if needed.
Take pictures of the accident if possible, including all vehicles in the accident. Take both close-up and wide angle shots of all vehicle damage.
Take photographs of all injuries before they heal.
Make sure to save receipts when you purchase any medications. Get a folder and start putting everything from the accident in a folder so you don’t lose anything.
Save copies of your medical records you are given.
Try to get names, phone numbers, addresses, emails, and insurance information from anyone involved in the accident, including any witnesses to the accident. It’s often easy to just take a picture with your phone of insurance cards and drivers licenses just in case the police record the wrong name or insurance policy number. This is your backup.
You are required to contact your own insurance company after an accident, but we highly encourage you to call an attorney first. Insurance companies will often get you to say things that might be harmful to your case later and since you don’t know what information they are allowed to ask, you won’t know if you are volunteering information you aren’t required to disclose. Instead, speak to an attorney first and let your lawyer speak to the insurance company for you.