1. Get the other person’s full name, contact information, and insurance information. You should also provide them with your insurance information even if you were not at fault.
2. Take pictures of the vehicle(s) involved.
3. Get information from potential witnesses. This may seem uncomfortable, but having witnesses to prove your account of events could be critical if the other side later lies about what happened.
4. Get the name of any police officers who arrive at the scene and ask that they take a police report. They may insist that it is not necessary, but do it anyways.
5. Seek immediate medical attention even if you do not initially feel like you have been injured. This is because some injuries do not physically manifest themselves until a day or two after the impact.
6. Document any injuries with pictures before they start to heal. Keep track of the date for the pictures. Also keep a detailed log of them as they start to heal.
7. Keep a log or a journal about your daily activities and how they are affected. For example, if you normally run in the mornings, but cannot because your knee was injured in the crash then write that down. Write down how the pain feels and how long it lasts. The more descriptive and detailed your log or journal about your injuries and how they have affected you,
8. Save any and all pieces of evidence (e.g. torn clothing, a helmet, etc.) that may be helpful to the case.
9. Do NOT discuss the incident with the other party or party’s representative if there is any chance that you could be held responsible for the collision. The other side’s insurance company is there to protect themselves and their insured – not you. So, any statement you make could be used against you. Contrary to popular belief, something you say is not “hearsay” if you are a party in the case. It’s an admission, and like you have heard in police shows anything you say can and will be held against you.
10. Contact us or another lawyer you trust and schedule a time to come in to discuss next steps.