Car Accident: What’s the First Thing to Do After the Crash?

Accidents can have a detrimental effect on you, but what you do right after an accident decides your future. Car accidents happen to even skilled drivers and sometimes become inevitable. An Indianapolis automobile accident attorney is there to help you if you are injured in a car crash and do not know the protocols. However, you have to ensure your safety and the passengers traveling with you in the first place. 

According to NHTSA, 31,720 people died in 2021 due to fatal car crashes, approximately a 12% increase compared to 2020.

After having a car accident, you need to be calm and focused. It will help you document the scenario more accurately, leading to smooth legal procedures. Below is the list of important steps taken immediately after a car accident in Indianapolis. 

Call 911:

Please ensure nobody is hurt, and in case there is some injury, immediately call 911 for an ambulance. Moreover, you should contact the police no matter how minor the accident may seem or how cooperative the other party is. Then it will be easy for you to submit an official report to your insurance company once it has been drafted. 

Move Your Car:

If your car is still operational, move it to one side of the road you are on. Make sure to pull completely off the road to avoid a collision with other vehicles. If you have flares or reflective emergency triangles, open them to alert other cars. If there’s a fuel leakage and you feel your car will explode, get everyone out of the way as soon as possible. 

Avoid Roadside Arguments:

After a car crash, you might feel devastated and might be overwhelmed by the situation. It is not wise to involve yourself in an argument with another driver. Trust your instincts and be patient if you think the other driver is at fault or is being aggressive. 

Collect The Right Information:

You can take pictures of another person’s driving license or note down the name, address, and contact information of everyone involved in the accident. Determine the driver’s relationship with the car owner if the driver’s name doesn’t match the car’s registration or insurance papers. 

In case the other person doesn’t report the accident, collect all the information regarding their vehicle, such as year, make and model, color, license plate number, and vehicle identification number. Note down the insurance policy number and the company’s phone number as well. Nonetheless, do not share your Social Security number, the reimbursement limits on your insurance policy, or other personal information.

Document The Accident:

Gather as much evidence as you can by using your phone’s camera, video, and voice recording features. You should also check how much damage has been caused to your car. The best way to determine that is to take photos of the entire vehicle; for both your vehicle and the other party’s, and close-up pictures of the damages.

Keep a record of the date and time of the collision and see if any witnesses are willing to give you their names and contact information. Do not miss to note down street names and the direction each vehicle was heading before and after the accident. One thing that most people miss is the position of the cars after the accident. This is critical information because it helps the insurer re-create the accident when you report the claim.

Call an Indianapolis Automobile Accident Attorney:

If you live in Indiana or met with a car accident in Indiana, you should call your Indiana automobile accident attorney. They will help you file your claim to your insurance company and assist you in all legal actions involved in the post-accident process. Hiring personal injury attorneys in Indiana is also important because every state has its own law, and nobody understands it better than your attorney. 

Your personal injury attorney will also determine what insurance claim would apply to your case and how to get maximum compensation. It depends on who is at fault as well as the types of insurance policy you and the other driver have. 

Avoid Making Deals:

Do not make side deals with other drivers to accept or pay cash for the accident instead of filing an insurance claim, even if the other driver offers a substantial amount of money while having no auto insurance. The driver can exploit you, and you could be exposed to significant expenses down the line by making a ‘handshake deal’ with cash on the scene.

Contact Your Insurance Provider:

It is important to call your insurance company as soon as people. You should know what documents you need to file a claim, such as ‘proof’ or a police report. Otherwise, you can always take the assistance of a personal injury lawyer who will guide you thoroughly. Moreover, you should also know if there is any specific time period for filing the claim and when you can expect to hear from your insurance company. 

Get Yourself Checked for Injuries:

You can have severe head or spinal injuries from a minor impact. You must visit your doctor if you experience pain or unusual symptoms. Because sometimes, you feel perfectly fine right after an accident, but some injuries become apparent only after a day or two. Your auto insurance claim usually includes injuries resulting from a crash, so it’s important to document any physical harm stemming from the accident and the medical bills.

Hire an Indianapolis Automobile Accident Attorney from Our Firm:

An experienced and well-known lawyer will take the time to collect evidence in your case and obtain it through any means possible, including surveillance or CCTV footage of the accident. They will also track witnesses and interview them before their memories begin to fade. 

If you are going through a car accident injury, you can schedule your consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys in Indianapolis. We are glad to serve you in the best way possible and ensure that you are rightly compensated for the damages you have sustained.

View these other frequently asked questions pages:

Who Can I Pursue if I’m Hit by a Drunk Driver in Indianapolis?

Why is a Police Report So Important to Your Car Accident Case?

Why You Should Get a Medical Exam after a Car Accident

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