What Should I Do After A Car Accident?

Texas had 476,875 car accidents in 2014.  When we look at the numbers, it becomes pretty obvious that there’s a high chance you could find yourself asking “What should I do after a car accident?”  The good news is that Allbee Law Firm is here to help you through each step if you’ve been injured in a car accident, motorcycle accident, or truck accident in Texas.

Stay Calm

Even if you don’t get injured in a car accident, there’s a pretty good chance that your body will be pumping with adrenaline.  The adrenaline will cause you to think and act differently than you normally would.  Take a deep breath and try to regain your composure.

Do Not Leave the Scene of A Car Accident

Some drivers panic after an accident.  The fear of having the blame placed on them, lack of current auto insurance or a valid drivers license, or seeing other people injured makes some people want to flee the scene of a car accident.  Don’t leave. 

Leaving an accident scene will potentially open the door to you being charged with a felony.  Even if you’re at fault, things will only get worse if you leave an accident scene.

Check Yourself, Passengers and Other Drivers for Injuries

Unless you’re a doctor, it’s very unlikely that you will conduct medical examinations at the scene of the car accident.  But you should at least ask the people involved if they are ok or whether they need medical assistance.  Call 9-1-1 immediately if anyone is hurt.  Try to keep injured people calm until medical help arrives at the accident scene.

Don’t Be Afraid to Go to the Emergency Room

Some people are hesitant to go to an emergency room after a car accident because they don’t have health insurance and they’re afraid of the costs associated with an ambulance ride and being treated at the emergency room. 

Some car accident injuries can be life-threatening or cause paralysis.  Don’t risk your life or well-being if you have spinal injuries or other serious injuries.  Keep in mind that the other driver’s insurance should cover your hospital bill if they were at fault.  Even if the other driver is uninsured or if you’re at fault, it’s still not worth risking your life or permanently damaging your health.

Call the Police

Exchange Car Insurance After A Car AccidentCar accident reports can provide you with all of the other driver’s essential information and will include a police officer’s narrative.  The narrative is a description of how the car accident happened and will include the police officer’s opinion of who is at fault.    

Police reports are considered business records, so you will be able to use your car accident report if your case progresses to a jury trial.  Police officers will also arrange towing services if your car is not drivable.

Exchange Insurance Information With the Other Drivers Involved in The Car Accident

You need to gather the name, phone number, address, drivers license number, auto insurance policy information, license plate number of all drivers involved.  Use your smartphone to take pictures of the insurance card and other information if you cannot find a pen and paper.

Be Polite

Be sure to be polite when exchanging information.  It’s possible that the other driver might be agitated, in pain, or even believe that you’re at fault.  Being angry or hostile will not help.

Gather Information From Independent Witnesses

An independent witness will have a strong influence on any case.  Witnesses don’t have anything to gain by offering exaggerated facts or lying about the car accident, so they tend to be viewed as reliable sources of information. 

If there are independent witnesses, be sure to get their name, phone number, address, and email address.  Ask the witnesses what they witnessed and write simple notes for later.  Again, you can also use your smartphone to video the witness if that is easier.

Take Pictures of All Cars Involved in The Car Accident And The Scene of The Accident

Take pictures of where the cars are, the scene in general, and the damage to cars involved.  It’s not unusual for one car to have significant damage and the other car to have only moderate damage.  Having pictures of both cars will help tell the entire story of how the car accident happened.

Do Not Post About Your Accident on Social Media

Don't Post On Facebook After A Car AccidentMany people like to share EVERYTHING on social media.  You may feel tempted to upload a picture of your car or truck accident to let friends and family members know that you have been injured.  

Don’t do it!  

More and more insurance defense attorneys are requesting complete Facebook files when car accident cases are in litigation.  Simply deleting the files at a later date will not fix this problem.  If you have posted information about your case, they will find it.  If you have been injured, you should be mindful of all other social media posts you share while you receive therapy and medical treatment.  It’s very easy for information to be misunderstood and used against you.

Call the Insurance Company and Set Up a Claim

Your best option is to call an experienced personal injury lawyer like those at Allbee Law Firm.  Once retained, we can act on your behalf and set up your personal injury claim for you.  By setting up the claim for you, we can guarantee that you will not misspeak or accidentally tell the adjuster something that will hurt your personal injury case.  Call the other driver’s insurance company to set up a property damage and bodily injury claim.  You can provide the insurance adjuster with basic information, but we do not recommend giving a recorded statement. 

Recorded statements have the potential to hurt your case down the road.  Again, be polite, and just set up the claim.  If the other driver is uninsured you can set up the claim with your own insurance if you have full coverage.

Get Medical Treatment

It is very common for people to feel fine when the adrenaline is pumping through their bodies right after a car accident.  Unfortunately, many people begin to feel significant aches and pains the next day or even a few days later. 

Injuries don’t usually fix themselves, so seek out medical attention if you are injured.  Contact Allbee Law Firm if you need help finding a doctor who will not charge a co-payment each visit and will treat you under a Letter of Protection, which will delay billing your medical expenses until your case settles or goes to trial.

What Do I Do After A Car Accident. Call A Lawyer!

Call Allbee Law Firm

If you have a personal injury case then we recommend hiring a personal injury lawyer.  That might sound redundant, but I’ve seen many instances where injured people have hired lawyers who have never even handled personal injury cases. Allbee Law Firm focuses on helping injured people.   You don’t need to ask yourself “What should I do after a car accident?”  We have the answers, and we can help you each step of the way.  

We have handled thousands of cases that have given us the knowledge and experience to strategically guide you through the entire process.  Call (972) 848-4848 now for a free consultation. 

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