What to do immediately after you were involved in a car wreck
Car wrecks are always unexpected, and it is important to know the steps to take immediately after you are involved in one. The first and most important step is to call the police after the collision. If you are injured, even if not severely injured in your opinion, tell the 911 operator that you are injured and require EMS (ambulance) to come out to the scene to check on you and make sure you are okay. The reason why this is so important is twofold.
First, it is important to get checked out by professionals to make sure you are not severely injured. It is normal for adrenaline to be pumping in your body which may mask the pain and injuries that you will feel later that day or in the coming days.
Second, it is important to tell the dispatcher you are injured because if you tell the dispatcher that you are not, nine times out of ten they will tell you to exchange information with the other driver and that no officers will be coming out to the scene of the collision. It is important to have a police officer arrive at the scene so that they can investigate by speaking to you and the other driver(s) and create a crash report which will include all your information, the other drivers involved’s information and a narrative of how the collision occurred and contributing factors of why this collision occurred. This report helps in many situations where otherwise it would be your word versus the other drivers with what happened.
The next step while waiting on EMS and the police is to take a picture of the other drivers insurance card. It is important to get in the picture the insurance carrier’s name, the policy number and the effective coverage date. This ensures that your attorney will be able to file a claim against their insurance as soon as possible.
Additionally, it is important to take pictures of your vehicle and the damage done to your vehicle from this collision.
It is also a good idea to contact a friend or family member who may be needed to pick you up if your vehicle is not drivable or if you are injured and unable to drive. If your vehicle is towed, make sure you know which tow company is towing the vehicle and where they are towing the vehicle too. It is important to know that once your vehicle is towed, it will sit in the tow yard incurring daily storage fees. Insurance companies require you to mitigate your damages which means to take any steps possible to lessen the amount of fees and damages you incur moving forward which would include not allowing your vehicle to sit in the tow yard for an unreasonably long period of time incurring storage fees daily. Even if the collision was not your fault and your attorney has filed a claim against the at fault drivers insurance, the process may take some time for the insurance to investigate liability and coverage and move forward paying you on your property damage claim. We will discuss in a future post the process of filing the claim, the different types of claims, and what to expect when your attorney begins with the claims process.
Once the police officer arrives and you tell them exactly how the collision occurred, make sure you are given a card with your crash report number on it. This will help you get the crash report once it is completed and available for purchase.
Once you have done all of this and have left the scene of the collision, IMMEDIATELY CONTACT THE HAMIDEH LAW FIRM and allow them to begin working hard for you on your case.
