Car Accident Injuries

When you’re involved in an auto accident, it is absolutely critical that you follow these 5 steps to minimize recovery time and maximize the amount of compensation you receive for injuries sustained in the accident.

The first thing you should do if you’ve been involved in a car accident is make sure you are safe. It is very important that you remain in your car and let the traffic around you clear. When it is safe to get out, you should get to a safe area where you can call the police for help. Drivers often exit their vehicles prematurely and end up hurting themselves or others.

The next thing you should do when involved in a car accident is call the police. Dial 9-1-1 and let them know you’ve been involved in a collision, where the collision occurred, and whether or not you need medical attention.

Once you’ve contacted the police and notified them about the car accident, you should start collecting contact and insurance information from all parties involved. At the very minimum, you should collect the following pieces of information:

• License plate number
• Full name and driver’s license number
• Insurance company and policy number

Its also a good idea to verify the insurance information provided is valid and that the name on the policy matches the name of the driver involved in the car accident.  You’ll need this important information later to contact the driver’s insurance company to start a car accident claim.

Just like contact and insurance information, it’s equally as important to take photos to document the scene of the car accident so they can be used as evidence in your claim.  It’s also important to write down detailed notes about how the accident occurred because as time goes on, your memory will fade and details will become less clear.

After things have settled at the car accident scene, you’ll need to then start the claims process. Contact your insurance company first and let them know that you’ve been involved in a car accident. If the other driver was at fault, you should then contact their insurance company to file a claim against them.

Once all of the above has been completed, the process of gathering evidence and documentation starts. You’ll need all the information collected in the previous steps during this process.