What Should I Do After an Auto Accident?

The best thing to do after a car accident is, first of all, make sure you or anyone riding in your car is okay. Check for injuries and any immediate signs that you’ve been injured. Once you do that, you definitely want to get to a safe spot, like the shoulder of the road. You should never leave the scene of an accident, but it is important that you get yourself and your passengers out of traffic. For most people, when everything happens in such an instant, your brain isn’t thinking. You don’t realize what is even going on around you.

Once everyone is safe, you should call the police. You can exchange information with the other driver yourself, but you can also have the police collect that information. They will verify that their license number, license plate number, insurance information, and contact information are current and accurate. If you choose to speak to the other driver, you should be careful not to say anything potentially incriminating. This can include apologizing or saying that you did something wrong, like pulling out in front of them.

Next, the most important thing to do is to document what’s going on around. Everybody hopes for the best but in these instances, you have to plan for the worst. That means taking photos. Take photos of your own vehicle from all angles. You can even take pictures of the other vehicle if you want to ensure that any damage they claim was actually sustained in this accident.

Some people will try to reach a settlement out of pocket on site, and some insurance companies will offer a very early settlement. Both of these take advantage of the fact that you might not know the extent of the damage to your vehicle or your own injuries. Wait until you’ve spoken with a very experienced car accident attorney before discussing a settlement.

At Simpson Law Group, we have that experience. If you’ve been in an accident, give us a call at 619-236-9696.