We all know that if we pay attention to our driving and follow the rules of the road the chances of getting into an auto accident is very slim. But the fact of the matter is that even if we are 100 percent careful when driving, the road is only as safe as the next drivers ability to drive safely, in other words even if you drive safely yourself all it takes is for another driver to hit you and before you know it you are involved in an accident. When that happens you should follow some procedures to help with the legal side of things. The most important ones are as follows.

Visiting a doctor:

A mistake some people make following an auto accident is, they tell themselves that they are all right because they have no visible sign of injuries. This may not always be true, sometimes things may seem alright but the signs will not show one or two days after the incident. That is why if possible it is always a good idea to get a clean bill of health from a doctor before deciding that you have no injuries from the accident. We also strongly recommend that you do not give a recorded statement to the insurance company without speaking to a lawyer first.

Talking to the police:

If you are injured in a crash, then you should Immediately after an accident contact the police no matter how small the property damage is and ask that a police report be completed. This way you will have the accident on file and will be able to show if need be, who was at fault and prove that an accident took place. This will also help in dealing with any problems related to injuries from the accident, and securing the identity of the driver who struck you. That is also why you should not commit to anything until you get a doctor’s advice on any possible injuries.

What type of information do you need?

There are some pieces of information that you should record immediately after an accident they are, time, date and location of the accident/incident, any injuries you may have got from the accident, type of vehicles involved which means make and model, names of all people involved including witnesses. All this is done so that you may be able to produce the correct info for you lawyer who will be able to produce it at trial. You also should get the name and policy number of the auto insurance company for the vehicle that caused the accident.

Some of the other actions that would be good to do after an accident is to take pictures of the incident if you happen to have a camera with you even if the police take pictures (it’s a good idea to keep a camera in your glove box if you don’t have one on your cell phone). After an accident you should always consult with a qualified lawyer who will be able to answer any questions, and this should be done as soon as possible after the car accident. Doing this will also help you to make a decision regarding taking action on the negligent person responsible for the accident.