As part of our firm’s commitment to bring good information about car wrecks and 18-wheeler wrecks to the community please consider this list of things to do after a auto accident, 18-wheeler accident or motorcycle accident.
Accident Checklist / To Do’s
1. Turn off the ignition in all the cars or 18-wheelers involved in the wreck. For your safety and the safety of those around you turning of the engine of all cars involved in a wreck is strongly recommended.
2. Determine if medical assistance in necessary and if necessary, call 911. Some injuries which occur in auto and 18 wheeler wrecks are not immediately ascertainable, such as concussion. So make sure to check in with each person involved in the wreck and look for signs of potential injury.
3. Cooperate fully with police and/or first responders. It is their job to protect you, and they can do a much better job of that if you do not get in their way.
4. Determine any immediate hazards / Move yourself or others out of the road. Often you will not want to move the vehicles, but remove any debris from the path of other cars traveling the roads.
5. Determine the identity of all people involved in the accident and vehicles. Write this information and the information in #7 down.
6. Photograph/measure skid marks, property damage, debris, etc. This information is often very important and trying to go back to the scene of a wreck after the fact and determine with precision that the marks you see are from the wreck is difficult.
7. Ask witnesses to the accident for their names, addresses and telephone numbers. (do not assume the police or others will do this for you) After the day of the accident it becomes very difficult to find additional witnesses to verify your version of the facts.
We have also put this information on a flier that will easily fit in your glove-compartment so you will have it when you need it the most.
