What To Do After A Car Crash

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about What To Do After A Car Crash

Most people report that they feel like they are in a “state of shock” after a collision. We recommend that you consider the following if you are involved in a car crash:

1. Ask for an ambulance, if there is any question that you may be seriously injured. Please remember that most people feel much worse the day after a collision than the day of the collision, and it never hurts to have paramedics run an assessment of any possible injury.

2. If you have the possibility of an injury, follow the recommendations of the ambulance personnel – if they recommend that you go to the hospital – go to the hospital.

3. Make sure the police or other law enforcement personnel come to the scene. Do not just exchange basic information with the other driver and let them leave, unless you are involved in a very low impact collision. A police officer can evaluate skid marks, severity of damage to the vehicles, and issue a ticket to a careless driver. Even though the evidence of the ticket is inadmissible in the civil case – it is helpful that an officer finds that someone other than you committed a traffic violation causing the collision.

4. Give a straightforward and truthful statement to the police. Do not exaggerate anything and do not guess about the Defendant’s speed. For example, if you do not know how fast the person was driving when they hit you – don’t guess that they were going 40 or 50 mph. It is far better to say that you don’t know than to incorrectly guess the speed.

5. If there are any witnesses, try to get their names, addresses, and telephone numbers or make sure that the police talk to any potential witnesses.

6. Call you insurance agent and inform them that you have been in a collision.

7. Contact an attorney as soon after the collision as you practically can. Please make sure that your attorney is experienced in personal injury/insurance matters, so that your attorney can conduct an investigation of the collision and help coordinate insurance coverage regarding your medical bills.

8. In the event that you do not contact an attorney prior to the car being repaired – please take photos of any damage to your car as it may be important later in recreating the collision.