ACCIDENT AFTERSHOCK, NOW WHAT? – 3 PART BLOG

Part 2- Contact Authorities/ Emergency Personnel

Once you are out of harm’s way and have arranged for emergency personnel to respond, it is important that you contact the police department so that a police report can be drafted.  This police report will have important bearing on any claim you might bring against at-fault motorists, so while it is important to cooperate with responding officers, you should never speculate or guess as to how the accident occurred.  Be sure to provide your side of the story though, as failure to do so could result in an associated police report that is not to your advantage.  You should never admit full responsibility for a collision.  Many collisions are complicated, involving multiple vehicles and other causative factors.  As such, you may not be fully aware of others’ actions, such as speeding or distracted driving, that contributed to the collision.

If the collision caused injury or death to any person, you are obligated to contact the police department immediately.  Failure to do so can result in a felony conviction and up to seven years in prison, as well as significant fines.

Of course, you should contact the police department after every collision, regardless of the property damage or injury.  Many injuries have a delayed onset, and failure to have a police report can hurt your claim for compensation.

For more tips and information, contact your car injury attorneys.