Unfortunately, anyone, anywhere can experience the trauma of a car accident. Whether the accident seems minor or life-threatening, the following information can help ensure you and your passengers obtain the necessary medical treatment and ensure your rights are protected.
Call 911 or Notify Police
Following a collision, check if you, your passengers, or anyone in the other vehicle needs emergency medical care. If anyone needs medical treatment, call 911 immediately.
Even if there are no apparent injuries, you should consider visiting your doctor within 72 hours to treat late-onset injuries. Early medical treatments can reveal latent injuries and make sure insurance companies do not deny any potential claims down the road.
Wait for the Police to Arrive
Under Connecticut and Rhode Island state law, you are required to stay at the scene of an accident until the police arrive. The police officer will make sure to obtain the parties’ information including insurance information. The police create an accident report which is helpful when submitting a claim to an insurance company.
Exchange Information
Even if all the drivers speak to the police, do your best to get the other driver’s information, including their name, contact details and insurance company. Making a note in your cellphone or taking a photograph of the other vehicles’ make, model, color and license plate can help document details and determine all involved in the crash.
Get Witness Information
If there are bystanders who saw the accident happen, ask them for their names and contact details. Car accident witnesses can be other motorists, pedestrians, or passengers. Even if the at-fault driver tells the police it was their fault, their story may change down the line and know the names of witnesses can help set the story straight.
Do Not Engage with the Other Drive Other Than to Make Sure They Are Okay and To Obtain Contact Information
Being involved in a crash that is not your fault is upsetting, but do not get into an argument with the other driver. Talk about how the accident occurred only with the police and your personal injury attorneys.
To that end, when gathering information and exchanging details, do not admit fault. You may think that you caused the accident, but there may be other details that you are not aware of. As an example, the other driver may have violated a traffic law and unbeknownst to you, that violation may have led to the collision. If the other driver admits fault, make a note of what they have said.
Take Photographs
Use your phone to take photos of everything: the accident scene, the property damage, any injuries, and insurance cards. It is important to also take photos of the other driver’s vehicle. Generally speaking, it is best to start with wide photos depicting the entire scene so as to document the location of the vehicles. Then take narrower shots of specific areas of damage and/or injuries. In this way, it makes it easier to provide context to photos that do not necessarily depict the entire scene or even one entire vehicle.
Ensure an Accident Report is Created
Making sure the police respond to the scene is an important step to make sure a police officer creates an accident report. If the accident occurred on private property (such as a private parking lot), the police officer may not want to do accident report, they should still create what is known as an Incident Report.
Quickly Contact Your Insurance Company
No one likes dealing with insurance companies, but your car insurance policy typically requires you to notify the insurance company of a car crash. If you fail to contact your insurance company quickly it could jeopardize the outcome of your claim.
Consult with a Car Crash Lawyer
Motor vehicle accidents happen regularly and insurance companies routinely undervalue claims that arise from such accidents and attempt to get parties to agree to settlement of any claims as quickly as possible. To ensure your chances of recovering maximum compensation for your damages, it is important to protect your legal rights. The experienced attorneys at Conway, Londregan, Sheehan & Monaco have been representing people injured in car accidents since 1962 and will zealously represent you at all stages of your accident claim.
To schedule a free consultation at our offices, give us a call at 860-447-3171 or contact us through our website HERE.
The personal injury attorneys of Conway, Londregan, Sheehan & Monaco are licensed in Connecticut. Stonington – New London CT Personal Injury Attorney, Eric Garofano is also licensed in Rhode Island. In Connecticut, we handle personal injury claims in the cities of Middletown, New Haven, New London, Hartford, Stamford, Waterbury and Norwich as well as New London County, Middlesex County and Windham County. In Rhode Island, we handle personal injury claims in Westerly, Warwick, Providence and Newport, including Newport County, Kent County, Washington County and Providence County.