Dallas Car Crash Lawyer

WHAT TO DO AFTER AN AUTOMOBILE
ACCIDENT:

1. Stay calm. Car crashes are
unexpected and usually traumatic events,
certainly so if you are hurt.

2. Phone 911 and get the police to the
scene. You need a written report. Police
officers will often want to just get you to
exchange information without writing a
report. Insist on a written report, especially
if you are hurt. The officer will not
remember the details later if he does not
write them down in a report.

3. Obtain names, addresses and phone
numbers of any witnesses. Don't wait for
volunteers to come to you, they may think
that you already have witnesses and go on.
If you see someone who is a witness to
what happened, or a witness to the other
driver admitting fault, gather that witnesses
information. You will likely need to give it to
the insurance company later. People
involved in accidents often change their
story after they leave the scene. Without
witnesses, auto accidents often turn into
swearing matches (which means the
insurance company won't pay).

4. Take photos of the vehicles (yours and
any others involved). Take pictures of any
visible injuries. Take pictures of the
accident scene. If you are hurt, then get
someone else to take the pictures for you.
They can help later in determining how the
accident happened, and how severe the
accident was.

5. Get the insurance card or information
from the other driver(s). Without this
information, it can be difficult to get your
vehicle repaired, or get your medical bills
or lost income paid. Don't rely on the
police to have it at a later date, make sure
you have the insurance information before
you leave the scene.

6. If anyone is hurt, get an ambulance, or
get someone to take the injured person to
the hospital. People often do not realize
how severe their injury is at the scene.
Their adrenaline is up, and they may be in
shock from what just happened. If there is
pain, they should be seen by medical
professionals to ensure there is no life
threatening injury.

7. Obtain an estimate for the damage to
your vehicle. Get your OWN estimate, don't
rely on the insurance company's estimate.
The insurance company will almost always
write the estimate low in personal injury
cases. They are trying to pay as little as
possible.