Dos And Don'ts After An Auto Accident

Posted on: 16 March 2019

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Getting into an auto accident can obviously be quite scary, but hopefully you will still have enough wits about you to understand that what you do and say during the interaction with the other driver can have serious consequences. If you are in a bad accident and think there might be a legal case of some kind in your future, here are some tips for what you should (and should not) do immediately following an auto accident.

Do Collect As Much Information at the Scene as You Can

If you need medical attention after an accident, that obviously needs to be your top priority, but otherwise you should immediately begin documenting whatever you can. Getting the other person's information is obvious, but don't stop there. Take photos of the damage to your car and the damage to the other vehicle. Take a photo of the direction you were driving and the location the other vehicle arrived from if necessary. Document any nearby stop signs, traffic lights or other rules of the road.

Do Contact the Authorities

If it's just a small fender bender, you might think you can go without filing a report with the authorities. But a police report could end up being very important if the other party changes their story at some point in the future. In fact, don't be surprised if the other party tries to tell their insurance company something besides what actually happened. A police report will help create an official record of the incident.

Don't Take Any Blame

If you feel like you are at least partially responsible for the accident, you can ask the other driver if they are OK, but do not apologize. An apology could be seen as an admission of guilt, and if you end up in court over the incident, your words could come back to haunt you. 

Don't Move Forward Without an Attorney

As soon as you recognize that your situation is escalating and you either need to defend yourself or go after the other party for what happened during the accident, you need to find an experienced auto accident attorney. A good attorney will be able to negotiate with the other side for you and speak any insurance companies that might be involved. If your case does end up in court, your attorney will give you a fighting chance of seeing your desired outcome.

Contact an auto accident attorney today for more information. For more information, visit websites such as http://www.bjhmaldenlaw.com.