Okay, so you've just become a victim of one of the 3 million car crashes that occur each year in the U.
S.
This article is going to assume that you were an innocent victim and that another party was at fault.
What you do immediately after the collision will have lasting effects on the outcome of your situation.
In a perfect world where everyone is fair and all parties take responsibility for their actions and abide by their agreements, an accident is pretty straight forward: You get hit, the other party gives you their insurance information, you call them, they arrange to repair your vehicle and they offer to pay your medical expenses, any lost time from work and a sum for the time you had to endure pain and were unable to enjoy your life in a normal fashion.
The problem is, it's far from aperfect world.
People and insurance corporations do not take personal responsibility and do not uphold their agreements.
Therefore, you must take charge and not assume everyone is going to do their share.
What to do immediately after the collision: Take inventory of your body and your passenger's well-being.
If anyone is bleeding, have them apply pressure to the wound.
If anyone is unconscious, do not move them.
Check for pulses and breathing.
Immediately call 911.
Administer emergency care like CPRif needed.
If you have an unconscious passenger, or one that is severely injured or if you are severely injured, try to remain calm until help arrives.
Do not move the vehicle or the injured party unless there are signs of a fire or other imminent danger.
If no life threatening or severe injuries have occurred, move your vehicle to the side of the road and out of traffic.
It does absolutely no good to get out of your vehicle and inspect damage in traffic lanes.
It only causes traffic congestion and other secondary accidents.
It won't make any difference legally if all the cars are lined up or not.
Just make sure to note which cars were where and the sequence the collision occurred in.
Call 911 and report the accident and ask for local police (for surface streets) or Highway patrol (freeways and toll roads) to respond.
Many local police agencies will not write a report on scene unless there are injuries, severe vehicle damage or you are blocking traffic because your vehicle won't move.
Once the authorities have been notified, go out and exchange information with the other parties involved.
Take a piece of paper and pen with you and write down the name, phone number, make and model of vehicle, color, license plate number and insurance information.
DO NOT ARGUE.
Don't cause a scene at the scene.
Don't insist on an apology or demand the answer to "What were you doing?! Why did you hit me?!" Dispassionately gather information.
If you get upset and rant, the other party is less likely to cooperate.
If your cell phone has a camera, take pictures of the other vehicle and the damage of your vehicle as they sit at the side of the road.
Get photos of all vehicles involved if it is a 3 or more vehicle collision, even if the other vehicles did not hit yours.
This information may be needed later to settle any disputes over liability.
Once authorities arrive at the scene, calmly and assertively explain what happened.
If you or anyone else in your vehicle feels any discomfort at all, do not be brave and minimize it.
Often injuries develop over the course of a few days and can even be delayed by weeks or months.
If you report at the scene that you are "fine," and then a week later you awake with severe neck pain or develop a disc injury months later as the result of the crash, these words can come back to be used against you by an insurance company that doesn't want to pay your medical bills.
Just tell them honestly, I have a headache, my neck is stiff or my knee hit the dash and it hurts, etc.
Don't exaggerate or lie, but do not trivialize your potential injuries either.
At the scene you do not know if you are injured.
If another party claims incorrectly, you were at fault, do not argue with them.
Instead explain your side rationally to the police at the scene.
Between your calm statements, photos and the police officer's "BS" detection instincts, the truth almost always prevails.
The authorities may ask if you need an ambulance to take you to the hospital.
Here are some examples of when to go to an ER room: dizziness, bleeding, cannot move neck or neck pain is significant immediately after the collision, loss of consciousness or disorientation, suspected leg or arm fractures, drowsiness or slurred speech, numbness, shooting pains or inability to move fingers, hand or arm.
These are signs of possible severe injuries or spinal damage and require stabilization and evaluation by an ER physician.
The vast majority of life threatening or very serious injuries will be discovered in the ER.
But, ER doctors often overlook moderate whiplash and other strain type injuries, so if you are told "you're fine...
you're just strained...
it will go away in a few days...
" that is bad medical advice.
Once all information has been exchanged and the police have taken a report, it is time to carefully leave the scene.
Carefully because accidents cause other drivers on the road to seemingly lose their minds and veer right for them like bugs to a light.
You don't need another collision! If the police do not respond to make a report.
Drive directly to the local police station to make a traffic accident report.
This is important! You must do this right way.
If no objective authority files a report, it's your word against the other person's.
Making a report right away gets your side of the story documented.
Whether you feel pain or not it is important to call and make an appointment with a physician specializing in automobile accident injuries.
Such a professional will always make room for you within 24 hours because they understand that immediate evaluation is necessary not only medically, but to protect your legal rights as well.
Your family medical doctor or chiropractor who is not specifically trained in and does not devote the majority of his or her practice time in personal injury matters, is not qualified to take care of your unique condition.
Accidents are intricate and there are many bases to cover to ensure any injuries are detected, documented fully and cared for correctly.
That's where a specialist can help you immensely.
Your next call is to the other persons auto insurance company.
Don't put this off until tomorrow.
Do it within an hour or so of the accident.
Give them all your information and the information given to you by their insured.
Inform them you will be seeking a medical evaluation within 24 hours.
Next, call your own insurance company and let them know you have been in a collision.
Give them all the other party's information.
After the dust has settled, and you've made your calls, try to relax.
Take out a pad of paper and write down briefly everything that happened.
In time your memory will fade and you may forget about important details.
Write them down while they are fresh in your mind.
Check your body for any bruising, redness or scrapes on the side of the neck, over the collar bone and chest, which often appear due to contact with your seat belt.
Look for bruising on your abdomen where your lap belt is.
Check arms and legs for bruises and your head for tenderness.
Collisions occur so rapidly that you may not even be aware that you struck your body on the interior of the vehicle or against one of your passengers.
Photograph any visible signs of injury from about 3-4 feet away.
Well that about does it.
You've done all you can to properly manage the immediate aftermath of your accident.
Your next steps are to report to your personal injury specialist physician for an evaluation and to continue contacting the other party's insurance company until they have made a report and given you a claim number.
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