What to do if you are involved in a car accident?

Safety is first, your safety and the safety of others.  If you can safely move your vehicle off the road to the shoulder or into a parking lot then do so.  If people need medical care then immediately call for EMS.

Call the police to report the situation.  Obtain a police report.  Do not admit fault to anyone.  Do not discuss the incident with anyone except police or your insurance representative or your attorney’s office.  Be certain to gather as much information about the incident as possible.  This includes names of persons involved as well as names of any witnesses.  Be sure to collect the address and phone number of persons involved, including any witnesses.  Gather driver license numbers, state of driver license issue, license plate numbers along with what state the license plate displays.

Take pictures of everything.  Use your smart phone to take pictures of driver licenses, license plates, damage to vehicles, the location of the incident, and document the nature of physical injuries if possible.

Stay calm and take reasonable actions.  Do not make a difficult situation worse.  Once the situation is stabilized take a moment to write down your narrative of what happened in the incident with as much detail as you can remember.  Then sign, date, and note the time you finished writing this narrative of the incident.

Calling an attorney’s office to discuss the incident may be a good idea.  Having an attorney’s office review your situation could protect any claims you may have.  At Parker & Associates the Parker Legal Team specializes in car accident cases.  Call us today at 214-696-6100 for a free consultation.  Visit our website on Google at Parker Legal Team.

For general information purposes only.  Nothing in the above article is to be construed as legal advice.  Nothing in the above article creates an attorney – client relationship.  Consult an attorney to discuss your specific situation.