If you have just been involved in an auto accident. There are a number of things that you can to do protect yourself.

1. Call the police, and have them investigate the accident. The other driver might ask that you not call; that you can “work it out”- DO NOT FALL FOR THIS TRAP. Too many times I have had clients come to me and say that they didn’t call the police as the other driver was accepting responsibility, only to find out that the other driver completely  changed his story. Have the Police investigate the accident. If someone should be ticketed for causing the accident, then so be it.

2. If you’ve decided to not call the Police (a bad idea), and just exchange information. Do not rely on the other driver to write down his information. Make sure the other driver gives you his license and registration. Write down all the information you can, as you don’t want a situation where you can’t find the other dirver just because you didn’t write down his information.

3. See if there were any witnesses to your accident. Many times good samaritans will stop just to ask if you are okay after an accident. Ask them if they saw the accident, and if so, get their contact information. Many times the testimony of an independent witness made all the difference in terms of winning or losing a case.

4. Take photographs. Almost very cell phone has a camera these days. There is no excuse for not taking photographs. Take as many as you can of the accident scene, the damage to the cars, any skid marks, the other car’s license plate. All of this information in invaluable and should be preserved.

5. If you are not feeling well, go to the nearest emergency room. If the police are there, have them call an ambulance for you, and get yourself checked out. Once seen at the emergency room, follow their instructions regarding getting follow-up care. Delays in treatment are always used by insurance companies to claim that you weren’t hurt. Make sure you are thoroughly checked out.

These are just a few things that you should consider after an auto accident. Please read our other posts as to how you can protect your rights following an auto accident.

Related posts:

  1. $42,000 Virginia Auto Accident Settlement- Rear End Accident
  2. Fairfax Virginia Motorcycle-Car accident – $35,000 Settlement

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This entry was posted on Sunday, December 21st, 2008 at 10:07 am and is filed under Library, Personal Injury. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.