What To Do At The Scene Of An Accident

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What To Do At The Scene Of The Accident   

Being in a serious car accident is one of the most frightening life events you will ever go through. The impact from collision forces levels can be severe and cause serious and immediate injury. The first few moments after an accident can be fraught with confusion and disorientation. If you feel you can get out of the vehicle safely, you will need to start gathering some important information at the accident scene.

The most important things are to get identifying information from the other driver(s), identify the other vehicle(s), notify the police and take photographs. Get the names, addresses, telephone numbers, driver’s license numbers and insurance information from all the drivers involved in the accident. Write down the license plate number and the make, model and color of all the vehicles involved in the accident. Be polite and try to avoid discussing how the accident occurred or arguing over who is at fault with anyone involved in the accident.

If the police indicate they will investigate the accident, try to leave all vehicles at their point of rest until the police arrive. This will give the investigating officer an opportunity to document what could ultimately be important details about how the cars collided. If it is not safe to leave the cars where they are or they create too much of a traffic block, move them to the nearest point of safety. The police will probably interview each driver separately. Give the officer as accurate and complete information you can. Stick to the facts; don’t guess, speculate or assume things you don’t know.

Avoid insulting or disparaging the other driver, even if you believe his or her behavior in causing the accident was outrageous. It won’t make you look any better later on if your tirade winds up on the traffic collision report.

Taking Photographs Of The Accident Scene

A picture can be worth a thousand words. If you are in a car accident, photographs of your vehicle and the other vehicles involved may provide important evidence of the severity of the impact and how the accident happened. Take pictures of the vehicles involved in the accident where they came to rest after the collision. If any of the vehicles struck any other objects, take pictures of those as well. If there is a dispute over who caused the accident, an expert may be able to draw conclusions from the photographs as to how the collision occurred.

Also, being able to produce photographs of the vehicles may the best evidence of the severity of the impact. If you suffer a strain/sprain type injury, an injury that typically is not accompanied by objective findings like broken bones, the other driver’s insurance company may argue that the collision was not hard enough to hurt anyone. Photographs showing the nature of the damage to the vehicles involved can help establish your case. It is not unusual for one car involved in an accident to sustain major damage, while another is virtually undamaged. This is why it is important to photograph all the vehicles involved.

If you suffer visible injuries such as abrasions, lacerations or bruises, have someone take pictures that show these. Photographs showing how your injuries looked in the hours right after the accident can be more persuasive evidence of your pain and suffering than your description months or years later.

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