What to do if you are in an automobile accident
1. DO NOT ADMIT FAULT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.
2. Check yourself to determine if you have suffered any injuries. Next, check your passengers.
3. If necessary, call 911 to seek medical assistance.
4. It is very important to remain at the accident scene to render assistance to the other individuals involved if necessary and exchange information. The law states that it is a crime to leave the scene of an accident without stopping.
5. If it is safe to do so, move your vehicle to a safe location on the side of the road. Be very careful when exiting your vehicle and be aware of any oncoming traffic.
6. If your vehicle cannot be safely moved, be aware that it may be very dangerous to remain in your vehicle and that it might also may be dangerous to exit your vehicle.
7. Draw a diagram of the accident scene. A blank diagram is provided in a separate posting within this category.
8. If necessary, call a towing company to tow your vehicle to a body repair shop.
9. Exchange your contact information with other drivers involved in the accident. Be sure to obtain their name(s), address(es), telephone number(s) and insurance information. A sample form to use to collect information is included in a separate posting within this category.
10. Write down identifying information for the other vehicles involved in the accident including the year, make, model and license plate number.
11. Get the contact information for any individuals that may have witnessed the accident and document their version of the accident.
12. Call the police if a report is necessary (any injuries or property damage). The law states that the police must be notified for all but the most minor traffic accidents. Be sure to get the responding police officer’s name and any identifying number.
13. If possible, take pictures of the accident scene.
14. Contact Hernan Taylor & Lee’s accident hotline at (770) 650-7200 24 hours per day. If you would like to speak directly with a member of HTL’s staff after hours or on the weekend, please ask our call center to patch you through to a live individual.
BE SURE TO TELL YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY TO THE POLICE & MAKE SURE THAT FAVORABLE WITNESSES’ STORIES ARE DOCUMENTED BY POLICE. If you do not speak sufficient English to communicate with police officers, insist that an officer who can communicate with you be brought to the scene, that interpreting services be provided over the phone, or arrange for your own interpreter to communicate with the police officer. IF YOU DO NOT TELL YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY TO POLICE, your story will not end up in the incident report.
August 27th, 2008 | Category: Auto Accidents
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