First and foremost, you should contact the police and/or 911 if you need medical attention. If you are injured seek immediate medical care for your injuries. If police are called to the scene they will write a police accident report, take each driver’s statement about what happened, and obtain each person’s insurance information, address, phone numbers, and document whether or not there are any witnesses to the accident. In addition, any at fault driver will be cited. Many times people tend to be a little shocked and not thinking clearly after an auto accident happens.
The accident may have made you late for work or to a social engagement and you didn’t want to wait for the police to come because the property damage wasn’t that bad or you don’t want someone to get a ticket. This is generally a huge mistake. People can later change their story about how the accident happened. Injuries may not be felt for several days after the accident. This can be more difficult to overcome if there are no witnesses and the police didn’t come out or if you failed to take down important insurance information. Your vehicle may seem okay after the accident but you may later discover that there is unseen or internal damage that is expensive to repair. You want to be able to find witnesses later to testify for you so having their information is important and should be collected immediately. For all these reasons, its best to contact the police and get the other driver’s correct insurance information as well as document specific information about the accident.
Next you should contact your insurance company, as well as, the negligent driver’s insurance company but do NOT make a statement to them without consulting with your attorney. You will also want to make an appointment to get a car damage appraisal. Selecting a personal injury is a very important step to take and cannot be neglected.
If you or a loved one, have been injured in an accident, contact the Gina Rosato Law Firm at (813) 463-8000 for an initial consultation.
