Top 10 things to do after a car accident [video]

The average person gets into 4 car accidents in their lifetime. So it’s important that you know what to do afterward so you can be sure to obey the law and protect your rights.

Say you get into a car accident. You’re sitting in traffic and someone slams into the rear-end of your car. What do you do? Do you just exchange information and go home? Sorry, you’re not going to have enough evidence to win your case.

So you better start collecting evidence now. But here’s the problem, if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, you’re off to a bad start.

To help you out, here are the top 10 things you need to do after a car accident:

1. Stop and stay calm.
   • Don’t panic. Don’t leave the scene. Don’t get angry. Don’t cry. Take a deep breath and keep your composure.
2. Check for injuries.
   • Make sure that you and your passengers are OK. If anyone is seriously injured call 911 or have someone else call 911 immediately.
3. Stay where you are or safely pull over.
   • If you can safely keep your car where it is, don’t move it unless it is causing major traffic problems. If you have to move your car, safely pull over to the shoulder of the road.
4. Call the police and file a report.
   • No matter what, call the police and insist they come out and write a police report. It doesn’t matter if the accident was big or small, or if people were or were not injured. You want the police to interview everyone involved and document what happened.
   • This will prevent people from trying to change their story later on.
   • Don’t forget to get the police report number and the responding officer’s name and badge number.
5. Exchange information with the other driver.
   • What type of information? Get each other’s name, address, phone number, type of car, license plate, insurance company and policy number. When you talk to the other driver, be nice, but don’t apologize.
6. Take a lot of pictures.
   • If you’re physically able to, take pictures immediately after the crash. It’s the best time, and it may be the only opportunity that you have. Take pictures of your car, the other person’s car, the position of the cars, any skid marks, road signs, and the surrounding area in general. Take pictures from different angles and distances. You want your pictures to be able to tell the story of exactly what happened and how bad the crash was.
7. Look for witnesses and talk to them
   • If there were any witnesses to the accident, take down their names and their contact information.
8. Get medical attention right away.
   • When it comes to your health, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Get checked out right away. Go to the emergency room, urgent care, or your primary care physician right away and address any pain or discomfort that you might have.
9. Document what happened.
   • Write down what happened while your memory is fresh. Try to write down as much detail as you can. If you think it’ll be helpful, diagram what happened too.
10. Find a good car accident lawyer right away.
    • Talk to a good car accident lawyer before talking to the insurance companies. Definitely don’t sign anything or provide a recorded statement without talking to a lawyer first. A good lawyer will bring you peace of mind and will most likely increase your recovery.

If you follow these 10 tips, you’ll be sure to obey the law, protect your rights, and make them pay. Stay safe everyone.