With the rapidly worsening traffic conditions in our culture, the rising number of people without car insurance, and the frequency of hit-and-runs, it is important to know what to do in case of a car accident.  Keeping a cool head and taking care of business means that you less likely to be a victim of hit-and-run or insurance fraud.

First Things First

There are certain things you need to take care of immediately after the accident.

Call 911 

Your first impulse should be to pick up the phone.  Even if you don’t have all the answers yet, call the police.  If you get flustered, they can help walk you through the process of getting the necessary information; also, calling immediately ensures that they will arrive as soon as possible.

Check for Injuries

If you are injured badly enough, you’ll probably know it right away.  Because of the instinctive adrenaline rush, many injuries don’t show up within the first few hours, however.  You may not even know you’re hurt until the next day.  This makes is very important to concentrate on what your body is telling you immediately after the accident.  If you think there is even a possibility that you’ve been hurt, tell the dispatcher.  It’s better to be on the safe side and have the paramedics check you out, than to find out when you can’t get out of bed the next day.

Don’t forget to check your passengers for injuries, too.  You may be aware of the danger of being injured and not knowing it, but assume they aren’t.  Ask them if they want an ambulance to come, just in case, before telling the dispatcher otherwise.  And even if they don’t think they need help, if you disagree it’s okay to override them.  They may thank you for it later.

Look for Witnesses

Traffic tends to move pretty quickly, so the sooner you can do this, the better.  As you get out of the car, look around for anyone who is looking at you.  Remember, the law mandates that witnesses stop and wait for the police with you, so if you see anyone looking, flag them down.  If there is any confusion on who caused the accident, the testimony of the witnesses could help clear you from blame.

Talk to the Other Driver

Once you’ve gotten the police on the phone and checked you and your passengers for injuries, you need to talk to the other driver.  Find out if the driver and passengers of the other car are injured; even if you aren’t, they could be, and the dispatcher needs to know in order to send you the right kind of help.  You also should note as much of the other driver’s information as possible – license plate number, a description of the vehicle and driver.  Because of the high frequency of hit-and-runs, stick with the other driver until you get this information.  The other driver is less likely to run once you can identify them and their vehicle.

Find Out Your Location

If you aren’t familiar with the area, find the names of the cross streets nearest to your location.  Letting the dispatcher know this information will make you easier to find.