Car Accident Checklist
After a Car Accident Checklist
- Move car to safe location and turn on hazards
- Call 911 and request a police on the scene
- Get a copy of police report or collect the following information:
- Location of the accident
- Date of the crash
- Other driver’s home address, insurance and other contact information
- Vehicles involved
- Damage to all parties’ property
- Injuries sustained
- Narrative of what happened and contact information of any witnesses and their story
- Any admissions of liability
- Take pictures of:
- Damage to the cars
- Damage to other property (especially marks on the road, debris)
- Objects at the scene to identify location
- License plates
- Other driver’s license and insurance card
- The driver that hit you so they can’t say someone else was driving their car
- Any contributing factors, such as hidden signs or other distractions
- If the other driver is admitting fault, record them. Their story is likely to change.
- Call your insurance company and just give them the basic facts, if the driver that hit you ends up being uninsured, you could be fighting against your own insurance company for recovery.
- Get the name of the insurance agent you talked to and the claim number
- Request a tow truck from your insurance company and rental car if needed
- Contact an attorney before giving any recorded statement
- If the collision was serious or if you are in pain at all - seek medical attention immediately
- Take picture of your injuries and their healing
- Follow doctor recommendations
- Do not miss treatments
- Write down all providers
- Do not settle until treatment is complete - you only get one bite at the apple
- Keep a file
- receipts for all expenditures related to the collision
- all phone numbers and contact information for all those involved
- Protect your rights and contact an attorney for a free consultation of your case, Law Office of KG, PLLC can best assist the earlier we are contacted by:
- Collision reconstruction using the police painting, etc.
- Questioning witnesses while information is fresh in their minds and documenting it in a way that we will be able to use in court, if needed
- Taking pictures of fresh property damage and injuries
- Inspecting the other driver’s vehicle and possibly obtaining the black box before it is repaired or written over
- Handling the insurance providers so you don’t have to deal with that stress in addition to dealing with your injuries
- Contacting any other necessary experts to help preserve and review evidence