1. Make sure your car is in a safe place. If it’s not, move it to a safe place.
2. Call 911 for emergency medical and police assistance. Are you OK? Are your passengers OK? Assist the injured.
3. Safely exit the vehicle and talk to the other driver. Write down his/her name, address, phone number, driver’s license number, name of insurance company, policy number and phone number.
- Look at the other driver’s license and insurance card to write the information down yourself.
- Talk to the other driver about their conduct prior to the accident. Be nice - but ask what they did wrong.
- If it is the other driver’s fault, get them to say it’s their fault for the accident and see if they apologize to you.
- Inquire with them a little:
- “Didn’t you see that light?”
- “Why were you going too fast?”
- “Why did you pull out in front of me?”
- “How come you didn’t stop before you rear-ended me?”
- They may say things to you like, “I was on my phone,” “I wasn’t paying attention,” “I’m sorry” or a variety of other things.
4. Call the police and get a police report for almost every auto accident. A police report ensures that an independent person is taking down all the information, identifying any witnesses, evaluating the crash. Policemen are trained to investigate auto accidents. Give the police officer a short, clear statement of how the accident happened. Ask the police officer for his/her full name, badge number, organization (e.g. highway patrol or St. Louis) and police report number.
5. Take pictures of the accident scene, property damage to both vehicles, skid marks, etc.
6. Get witness names and phone numbers - they may not be included in the police report.
7. Get any medical attention you need promptly, whether it’s from the scene, and hour later, that night or the next day. Be sure to get medical attention - ER, urgent care, primary care doctor or chiropractor.
8. Document everything and all the matters relating to your claim.
9. Call us at (314) 500-HURT, email at Gary@burgerlaw.com or fill out our free consultation form to speak with an attorney about your car crash case for free and with no obligation. If you don’t recover, you don’t pay anything - it is as simple as that. We will also help you with your medical care, answer any questions you have regarding property damage and we’ll try to resolve any liens (claims against your personal injury settlement).
Schedule your free consultation below or call (314) 500-HURT.