Steps to Take Immediately Following a Car Accident

Being involved in a car accident may be one of the most terrifying things to ever happen to you, especially if the car accident is severe. While you may be reeling from the shock of it all, having a plan for how to respond and what steps to take immediately following the car accident can provide a sense of structure and peace, as well as preserve your right to financial recovery.

Consider the following steps to take immediately following a car accident, and don’t hesitate to consult with a car accident lawyer if you have questions or need help throughout the recovery process:

Get Yourself and Your Vehicle Out of Danger

The very most important thing that you can do immediately after being involved in a car accident is to get yourself and your vehicle out of danger. If you are in the middle of the roadway, moving your vehicle to a safe location is essential to ensuring that you are not involved in a secondary accident.

In addition to moving your vehicle if it is safe to do so, you should also check yourself for injuries, ask everyone in your vehicle if they are okay, and ask the occupants of the other vehicle(s) involved in the crash if they are injured. If anyone is injured, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Report the Accident

As soon as you, any vehicle occupants and your vehicle are all safely out of harm’s way, you need to report the accident to the police. Ideally, you will do this while you are still at the accident scene. When the police arrive, give them a full report of what happened, and be sure to report any injuries. Be sure to request the officer’s name and badge number, as well as a copy of the accident report.

Seek Medical Care

If you have serious injuries, you should seek emergency medical care—typically, this will involve transfer to the hospital via ambulance. However, even if your injuries are not emergent, it is still important to seek medical care as soon as possible after your accident.

Seeking medical care is important for a variety of reasons:

Seeking medical care ensures that you get the immediate and, sometimes life-saving treatment that you need.
Not all injuries are detectable immediately or to the naked eye. For example, you may not know you have a concussion without a proper medical diagnosis. By seeking medical care, you ensure that you’re getting the help you may not know you need.
Seeking medical care is an important step in establishing causation between your accident and any damages you may seek via an insurance claim. If you don’t seek medical care and then later seek compensation for an injury, the insurer may doubt that the injury and the car accident are related.

Gather Evidence

If you are able to do so, gathering pertinent evidence at the accident scene immediately following the accident could have a big impact on your claim. Types of evidence to collect include the name and contact information of the other driver involved, as well as any vehicle information; the names and contact information of any eyewitnesses to the accident; photos of the accident scene and any damages; photos of injuries; and any other important details that could impact the outcome of your claim. If you are unable to do these things yourself due to injuries, your lawyer will be responsible for collecting as much evidence as possible.

Call Your Insurance Company

You need to call your insurance company to report the accident as soon as possible after it occurs, preferably within 24 hours and certainly no more than 48 hours. Again, if you don’t report the accident, then you won’t have much ground to stand on if you try to make a claim. In fact, if you don’t report the accident within your insurance company’s required timeframe, your claim could be denied for this reason alone.

Document Your Injuries, Damages, and Recovery

The more documentation you have through the claims process, the stronger your claim will be. It’s important to write down everything you can about your injuries, losses, how you’ve been impacted, and your recovery. In addition to keeping a journal, encourage friends and family members to record how you’ve been impacted, and be sure to take plenty of photos, too.

Be Proactive

One of the most important things to keep in mind after a car accident is that the person who’s ultimately responsible for filing a claim and working with the insurance company to recover a settlement is you. It’s important to be proactive throughout the process, and seek professional help if you need it.