This article shares some great advice from Phoenix accident attorney, Aaron Crane from Cantor Crane with respect to steps you should take after a car accident.  Car accidents are very stressful. They are not planned, and many people don’t know what to do when they are in one. They need to take the steps to make sure they are protected when they are in a car accident.

If You are the Driver, or if You are Injured in an Accident, You Need to Remember to Take Certain Steps.

The driver and the person that is injured in a car accident need to make sure that they do the proper things after it happens. Whether or not the accident was major or minor, both the driver and the injured party need to take certain things into consideration.

A Checklist for Those Involved in Car Accidents

1. Stay At The Accident Scene – It is important for both drivers in an accident to stay at the scene until it is reported. They will want to get documentation of what happened with the accident. Here are the things that they need to have documentation of:

• The full name of the driver. The name of the person that is injured needs to be recorded also.
• Phone numbers of both parties involved. This is for contact information.
• A full address for both parties is needed too. Again, this is for contact information.
• Each driver must provide a driver’s license and a vehicle license plate number. This information is very important if the case needs to go to trial.
• Each driver needs to get the insurance company name and policy number of the other party that was involved. This is also in case there is a court hearing.
• Take pictures of the car accident and scene. This means the other person’s vehicle as well as one’s own. The pictures should also include the location and other road marks that can distinguish where the accident happened.
• If there are any witnesses or passengers, their name and numbers need to be written down to. They may have seen something more about the accident at the time it occurred.
• Call the authorities. Both parties in the accident should wait until the police arrive. The police will give a statement that will be useable in a court of law.
• A person that is involved in an accident will want to make sure that they write down the police number that is given to the incident. This is called the police incident report number. The parties in the accident should also write down the police officers that were there at the accident scene.
• If a person is involved in an accident, they should give their insurance and contact information to all that were involved. This is for their protection as well as others.
• If there is an injury, it is important that the proper authorities be notified. Paramedics will take a person to the hospital if it is needed when there is an accident.

1. Once a person has left the scene of the accident, it is important that they call their insurance company to make a report. This is also the case if they have been admitted to the hospital for their injuries.3. It isn’t a wise idea to make it known that a person was in an accident. For this reason, it is best that they don’t announce it on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or other social media.

   4. A person should not speak to the other driver’s insurance company. This has to do with court hearings and the testimony that will be involved with the case.

   5. It is important to keep one’s privacy. Do not let the adjuster of an insurance company record telephone correspondence.

   6. If the insurance company sends paperwork, a person should not fill it out. They should only correspond with their own insurance company.

   7. They will want to enlist the help of an experienced lawyer. The attorneys at Cantor Crane are excellent at dealing with car accident cases.

   When a person is involved in a car accident, they need to remain calm. The tips above will help them to do what they need to at the time it occurs so that if needed, they are able to take their case to court. For more information, visit our website to read more on “What to do after an accident” by Car Accident Attorney Cantor Crane today at (602)254-2701 for a free initial consultation.