If you are ever unfortunate enough to experience a traffic collision then there are a number of things that you should do immediately after in order to ensure that you are fully protected. The very first thing that you need to do is stop and do not drive any further – you are actually required by law to do this. Even if you were not at fault and you believe that there are no damages, you still need to stop.
One thing that you should never do though is admit to the other driver / drivers involved or to their insurers that you were responsible for the traffic collision. It is the responsibility of your own insurance company to investigate what happened and who was at fault. Not assuming responsibility is actually part of the contract that you have in place with your insurance company, so it is important that you do not say anything to anyone and, instead, allow either them or a Baltimore Car Accident Lawyer to do all of the talking for you.
The Scene Of A Traffic Collision
After a traffic collision has occurred , there are a number of things that you need to do and questions to ask. It is helpful to be fully aware of these things so that in the unfortunate event that you are involved in a traffic collision then you know what to do.
- Look for injuries and damages – upon getting out of your vehicle, you should check to see if anyone else involved requires immediate medical attention. If it can be avoided, do not move your or any other vehicle that was involved in the traffic collision and, instead, wait for the police to arrive and let them do it.
- Make contact with the police – you should contact the local police department even if the traffic collision is a minor one, so that there is a legal record of it.
- Try not to converse with the other parties – where possible, limit the amount of interaction that you have with the other party / parties involved in the traffic accident and be careful not to admit that you were at fault for anything. The only people that you should talk with are the medical professionals and police officers who attend the traffic accident.
- Know the details – do everything that you can to get all of the facts and details about the other party / parties involved, including their name, their address, and their contact telephone number. It is also beneficial to note down the registration number of their vehicle, along with a description of it. To help with this, you may want to consider taking photos with your cell phone of the traffic collision area, including close ups of the vehicles involved.
Takeaway
Although it is unlikely that you will ever be involved in a major traffic collision, it is still important to know what to do in such a situation just in case it does happen. Following the above information will put you in a good position to get a good result should you make a claim and go to court.