You’re driving along when you feel the impact of another car hitting yours. What you do next matters not only for your health but also for your potential personal injury case. Many people make serious mistakes at the scene of the accident or shortly thereafter that can hurt their chances of getting compensation for their accident injuries.
This article lists some of the things you should do after an Alabama car accident. Nothing that you do after a car crash will guarantee that you will win your accident case. But taking these steps can keep you from making a mistake that affects your legal rights.
(And if you’re wondering about what not to do after an accident, don’t worry. We’ll cover that topic in the next post.)
5 Things To Do After a Car Accident
The success of your accident claim will depend heavily on the facts that you present. Following these tips will help you collect evidence that can help your case.
- DO call the police
Even if there aren’t obvious injuries at the scene of the accident, you should still call 911 or otherwise contact the police. First, Alabama state law requires drivers to report any accident that results in injury or death. Second, an accident report can shed light on the facts of your accident. Be sure to get a copy of the report as well as the name and contact information of the officer who wrote it.
- DO get contact information
Get as much information as possible about the driver who hit you. At a minimum, you should collect the other driver’s:
- Name,
- Address,
- Phone number,
- License plate number,
- Driver’s license number, and
- Insurance information, particularly the policy number.
Be sure to get detailed contact information from anyone else involved in the accident as well as any witnesses who might’ve seen the crash.
If you were involved in a trucking accident, be sure to get the contact information for the trucker, the trucker’s employer, and any other relevant companies.
- DO take pictures
Take as many pictures of the accident scene as you can. Be sure to take pictures of the sky to record what the weather was like that day. You should also take photos of things like:
- The area around the accident,
- The position of the vehicles,
- Any damage to the vehicles,
- The road itself (i.e. a pothole),
- Debris and glass,
- Skidmarks,
- Traffic signs (or the lack thereof),
- Any non-vehicle property damage,
- Injuries to your body.
If you’re wondering whether you should take a picture of something, go ahead and take it. Your lawyer can help you decide if it is relevant to your case.
- DO see a doctor ASAP
Seek medical care as soon as possible after the accident. Seeing a doctor will help you prove that you were injured. It will also make it easier to prove that your injuries were caused by the accident rather than something else.
- DO keep records
After your accident, you’ll need to keep detailed, organized records. Once you start medical treatment, you’ll want to keep documents concerning your diagnoses, medical bills, and procedures such as surgeries. You’ll also want to keep records of any time lost from work due to the accident.
More questions about what to do after an accident?
If you’ve been in an accident and have questions about your legal rights, contact Collins Law, LLC. Our firm’s founder, April H. Collins, has handled car accidents, trucking accidents, and many other types of motor vehicle accidents. If you’ve been injured, call our firm at 205-588-1411 or use our website’s online scheduling tool to schedule a free consultation.