What to do if you get into an accident?

 What to do after you are involved in a motor vehicle accident???


1. CALL THE POLICE OR 911

    a. Check to see if anyone is injured. If someone is seriously injured call 911. 

    b. If there are no serious injuries, call the police and have them come on scene and file a police report.

2. DO NOT CALL ANYONE ELSE FOR THE NEXT 10 TO 15 MINUTES ON YOUR CELL PHONE. 

    a. It has been noted in recent cases that cell phone messages left at or near the time of the accident are used by insurance companies to claim cell phone usage as a cause of the accident. 

3. GET THE OTHER DRIVER’S INSURANCE INFORMATION & DRIVER’S LICENSE INFORMATION

    a. Get as much information as possible about the other driver, such as driver’s license number (take a  picture of their driver’s license), license tags, insurance policy, and take descriptive noteson the appearance of the vehicle and the driver. Cell phone photos are very helpful. 

4. TAKE PICTURES OF BOTH VEHICLES & VIDEO/PICTURES OF THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT

    a. Do not move the vehicles unless traffic is being blocked. Take as many pictures as you can quickly.  It may be necessary to determine the placement of the vehicles after the impact. If your  vehicle is blocking traffic and it is safe to do so, move the vehicle a short distance. If it is unsafe, then wait for the police. 

    b. Take pictures. Cell phone pictures of the vehicles and the surrounding environment help to determine how the accident occurred, vehicle placement, speed limit signs, intersections, skid marks, drivers and passengers etc. 

5. DETERMINE IF THERE ARE ANY WITNESSES AND OBTAIN THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION

    a. Determine if there were any witnesses. If there are witnesses to the accident, so try to obtain their personal contact information. Witnesses, at times, have been known to make or break a case. 

6. SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY IF NEEDED

    a. If you are injured, make sure to seek medical attention. Bear in mind that in most cases injuries are not felt until hours and sometimes days after the accident. At the first on set of any abnormalities or discomfort you should seek medical attention.

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