Getting into a car accident puts you in a difficult position. If you were hit by someone else and are injured, you may have to be taken to the hospital, go through rehabilitation, or even have surgery. If you later decide to hire an auto accident attorney to work with your case, you'll need several pieces of information. Here are three things you need to do as soon as possible following an accident so you have the best chance of winning compensation when you go to court.
Collect the Other Driver's Information
If you're hurt, this won't be something you can do right away, but you do need to make sure to gather this information as soon as possible. Getting the other driver's information can be helpful when you file your claim with insurance and when you're trying to inform the other party that you plan to take them to court. Some vital pieces of information you need include the following:
- The driver's age
- The driver's name
- The driver's license plate number
- The driver's insurance carrier
- The driver's insurance ID number
- The driver's home address
- The driver's phone number
You need to, at the very least, get these details. If the driver decides to flee for whatever reason after you have this information, it will help police track him down.
Get Your Witness Information Ready
Witnesses are important because they saw what happened from a different perspective than you or the other driver. When it comes to proving who was at fault for an accident, the witnesses and their testimonies are vital. When there are witnesses at the scene, you, the police, or a third party need to collect their information. If they are willing to speak in court or provide a testimony, make sure to gather the following:
- Phone numbers
- Addresses
- Names
Having this information on hand makes it easier for your lawyer to contact the witnesses to give a statement to the court. if the police were on the scene, they may have already taken witness statements, so make sure to ask before bothering witnesses again.
File Your Crash Report
In many states, it's important that you file your crash report with police within a limited amount of time. Do so as soon as possible following your accident to make sure the crash report is received and acknowledged. If police come to the scene, the report has likely been taken, but you need to make sure it's accurate.
Once all of these steps are done, you can work with your lawyer on your personal injury case. With some planning and persistence, you may be able to seek compensation for your injuries.
Share
