Unfortunately, statistics show that most of us will be forced to experience at least one car accident in our lives. Hopefully (if those numbers do turn out to be true), that one experience will be a mild one. Even so, though, any car accident can be traumatic. You may re-play a fender bender over in your mind for quite some time, especially remembering the loss of control and ruminating over how bad it could have been. It is vital to know what to do in the case of a car accident though and educate yourself before something happens. Once you have been struck by another car or experienced any type of traffic incident, the adrenaline flow may be so extreme that you cannot think very well—and researching what to do at that point could be very difficult.
The first thing to do after an accident is to stop, and then evaluate whether or not the car is functioning well enough to pull it off to the side of the road. The worst thing you can possibly do is to leave the scene of an accident, even if you think there was no damage. Assess whether you or any passengers have injuries and if an ambulance should be called—always erring on the side of caution. If there is any question at all, call for medical help. Call the police too, and make sure a complete report is filed, with a copy coming to you (and your car accident attorney).
Obtain contact information for everyone involved, and especially the other party. You will need their name, number, and all their insurance information. Also, don’t forget witnesses! These individuals could be very important to your case later, and while you were at the scene is most likely the only time you will see these people. Get as much information from them as possible regarding how to contact them and what they saw during the incident.
If you have your smart phone handy, and you were not injured, or you are able to get around easily in the moment, this is the time to put that camera to use. Photograph everything on the street and surrounding areas that could be relevant, from the road front to the traffic lines, traffic signs, intersection, any marks in the road from the accident (like skid marks, broken glass, or more), as well as your car, the other party’s car, property damage, and license plate. If possible, take pictures of any visible injuries you or any passengers sustained. All this evidence will be helpful to your case and should be passed on to your attorney.
If you have been injured due to the negligence of others, please call the law offices of Andrew ‘Pike’ Piekalkiewicz, PLLC as soon as possible at (713) 748-7453 or visit AttorneySgtPike for a no obligation case review.
