If you’re in a multi-car accident, it’s important to do a few things before leaving the scene. While the temptation may be to jump out of the car and start collecting ‘evidence’, you must remember the most important thing to do: think about your safety. Below, our friends at The Layton Law Firm explain what to do after a multi-car accident.
Think About Your Safety
Even though you were just in a car accident, other drivers operating other vehicles are primarily concerned with getting where they are going. At accident scenes, especially before officers arrive to restore order to the scene, attorneys often see vehicles circling around the disabled vehicles in any fashion possible in order to get past the accident. This creates an unruly environment where the passengers of the vehicles in the accident are at risk of being hit by another vehicle trying to bypass the accident. Stay on the shoulder, put your hazard lights on if they are functioning, and pay specific attention to oncoming traffic as you try to navigate your next steps.
Document The Scene
If you’re able to do so, it does make sense to take photos and videos of the scene as well as the damage to the vehicles. While clients often give their car accident lawyer close photos of damage in an attempt to document the damage to their cars, they often forget to do two important things: take photos of the damage to the other vehicles, and take photos and video of the scene from a distance which captures all vehicles and the traffic pattern of the street. Lastly, it also makes sense to take photos of the license plates of each vehicle at the scene. It’s not uncommon for drivers to exit their vehicle after an accident and discuss the accident, only to flee the scene once you decide to call 911 to have an officer attend to the wreck.
Exchange Info
While an officer should also facilitate this, it’s a smart idea to exchange information with the other drivers and/or car owners. You can take a photo of their vehicle registration card or insurance card from their glove box, and if they are willing to provide it you can add their phone number to your phone.
Call 911
Oftentimes, a car accident is ‘minor’ or the damage is such that you want to avoid involving police officers. Everyone is busy and wants to get on with their lives. Quite frequently however, a driver who was very friendly at the scene and agreed that the accident was their fault in conversation with you, will deny all of this later when speaking with their insurance company. As a result, the safest thing you can do is have the police show up on the scene to document the scene and create an accident report. Most drivers will give an honest answer to the officer at the time and that answer will end up documented in the accident report. If a driver later changes their story, the accident report will be inconsistent with their new version of the facts and may end up a critical piece of evidence for winning your case.
Seek Medical Attention
Ambulances can be expensive especially if you don’t have health insurance. Did you know that most EMTs do not charge you to be checked out on the scene? Getting checked out on the scene by an EMT who arrives by ambulance will create a medical record for you, and help you decide whether you need further medical attention. If you do not need to take the ambulance from the scene you can always visit the ER some time shortly after the accident, or see a chiropractor or physical therapist upon the referral of your primary care physician. There are two primary reasons for this. The first is quite obvious, being that your health is critical – often you don’t know what injuries you have from a car accident until a day or two later when the pain sets in. Second, without medical treatment you will not have a personal injury claim to pursue. Your medical treatment (medical billing and doctors notes) are the evidence of your injuries.
Call An Attorney
If you’ve been in an accident and want to speak with an attorney about any questions you might have, you’ll find that personal injury law firms are always available for a free phone consultation to help you understand your rights.
