Accident Preparedness – Knowing What to Do after an Auto Accident

Knowing exactly what to do in the unfortunate event that you are involved in a traffic accident can help to minimize your stress level and help you get through the incident more easily. You need to make sure that you have some basic necessities available when you need them and that you know what you need to do.

Of course you must always carry your driver's license on your person and have your vehicle registration and auto insurance information in your vehicle in a place that is easy to get to. Other items that can come in handy in the event of an accident are: a flashlight, a pen, a first-aid kit, some emergency flares, and, of course, a cell phone.

The first thing you want to do when you get in an accident is to move the vehicle off the road to a safe location as long as both you and your vehicle are capable of doing so. Next, you should call the police and/or emergency services, especially if anyone in your vehicle or the other driver's vehicle has been injured. If there are serious injuries, these should be attended to before worrying over exchanging insurance information or phone numbers.

Wait until the police arrive before making a statement to anyone about what happened in your accident. You should not try to assign responsibility for the accident to yourself or the other driver at this time. Let the truth speak for itself and simply describe the accident to the best of your ability to the police and your insurance company. Do not sign anything other than a police report when requested by the officers to do so. Once the police have arrived and the accident is under control, you may wish to contact your insurance company and an attorney if necessary.




A talented auto accident attorney for Sacramento, Greg Stroup is one of the leading personal injury lawyers for Stockton California who handles car accidents in Sacramento.