What To Do After You’re in a Car Accident

If you’re involved in a car accident of any kind, there will immediately be lots on your mind. Everything from the health of those involved to the state of the vehicles involved is important, and if you weren’t at fault, so is collecting some important information.

At Kelly & Bramwell, we’re here to help. With us, you’re one quick call away from a seasoned personal injury attorney who can help with cases like car accidents. Here are several immediate steps we advise our clients to take if they’re in an accident.

Call the Police

First and foremost, call the police. They may or may not show up depending on the severity of the accident and other crime issues taking place in their area. If police do arrive, they’ll help with much of the rest of what we’ll go over here.

Take Photographs

Whether police arrive or not, and even while you’re waiting for them, begin to take pictures as evidence to use later on if you believe the other driver was at fault for damages. Some things you should be sure to get images of include:

• The other driver, their license plate and, if possible, their VIN number
• The nearest street signs, to document the location
• All damage to both vehicles, with a particular eye to detail on your own
• Any injuries whatsoever
• Any witnesses, if possible

Get as much information as you can from the other driver, and write all this down. If you don’t have a camera or your cell phone, take as many written notes as you can or ask someone else to take them and send them to you.

Seek Medical Attention

From here, if you have injuries that require medical attention, seek it. In some cases, pain will not set in until a few hours after the accident.

Report Claim to Your Insurance Company

Most people do this first, but here’s why you should wait: In some cases, your insurance company will get to your car so quickly that you won’t have time to make proper documentation. You want to ensure you have all this done before the insurance company gets involved, so you’re sure there are no efforts on their part to diminish the payout you’ll eventually get. We don’t recommend calling them until the documentation process is complete.

Stop Talking

Once you’ve talked to your insurance company, close your mouth and refuse to speak to anyone else – particularly anyone else you don’t know or who calls you. The exception here, of course, is police or any law enforcement. But if you get a call, particularly from an insurance adjuster who “just wants to see how you’re doing” or something like that, hang up the phone. This is just an insurance company’s attempt to diminish your claim, and you should not respond until you’ve spoken to a car accident attorney.

For more on what to do after a car accident, or to learn about any of our other personal injury or attorney services, speak to the staff at Kelly & Bramwell today.