WHAT TO DO AFTER AN
AUTOMOBILE WRECK:
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.