WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISION When you are involved in a motor vehicle collision you do not always have the where-with-all to know what to do and what information you need to obtain in order to pursue a claim, either to get your car repaired or for personal injuries. I realize that there are times that you are unable to get the necessary information because of the severity of your injuries or because you have been transported from the scene by ambulance. I will try to address what you should do while at the scene as well as what you need to do if transported to the hospital. Following the impact, take a few moments to make sure you are okay. Check for broken bones, bruises or bleeding. Take a few moments to regain you composure and your self control. An auto collision is a traumatic event, especially since you are not expecting it. You need to gather your thoughts before you go about gathering the necessary information about the collision. After you have made sure that you are okay and have composed yourself, you need to check on your passengers. Once you have determined the condition of your passengers, you need to exit your car. Remember, the vehicles should not be moved. The police will not make an investigation or do a report if the vehicles have been moved. I realize that this is not always possible but it should be considered at the time of the collision. The second step is to look at the damage to your vehicle and to the other driver's vehicle. You should make a written note of the damage to your car and the damage to the other vehicle. Next copy down the other vehicle's license plate number. There may be instances when you are unable to obtain any information on the other driver. However, if you have his license plate number my office can contact the department of motor vehicles in most jurisdictions and obtain driver and insurance information. If the other driver remains at the scene, you need to get all of his or her information. This includes the drivers name and address, telephone number, both work and home, driver's license number and the name and policy number of the driver's insurance company. If the driver does not own the vehicle, than you need to obtain the same information for the owner that you obtained for the driver. Again, the name and policy number of the insurance company is a must. If the police arrive on the scene and do an investigation, than you need to get the name of the reporting police officer, his badge number and his/her duty station. Most important is that you get the police report number. A lot of times, if you are taken to the hospital by ambulance or the other driver is taken away by ambulance, the only source of information will be the police report. That is why it is so important that you get the report number from the police officer. If your vehicle has to be towed, make sure you get a receipt from the towing company, the name of the crane operator and verify with him where the vehicle is going to be stored. Also, make sure that you verify the towing charges and the storage charges. Once you verify this information make a note of it on the towing receipt. Finally, once you get home, either from the hospital or the accident scene call your insurance company and report the collision, even though the collision was caused by the other driver. The reason is that you want your company to be aware of the collision in case you need it to make your car repairs. Even though the other party is at fault it may take his/her company 7-10 days to complete its investigation and you may want to have your company begin the repairs on your car. Also, if your car is not driveable than you will want your company to begin the work as soon as possible. Also, if your coverage includes a rental vehicle than you would also want you company to make arrangements for you to get a rental car. Do not worry about your company paying for your car repair. When the at fault driver's insurance company finishes its investigation and admits responsibility, it will assume responsibility for the car repair. And, once the liability issue is cleared up, the insurance company for the at fault party will reimburse both your insurance company for the property damage repair and you for your deductible. And also, remember that if you hear from the insurance company for the at fault driver, you should get the name and telephone number of the adjuster calling and the claim number. You should not discuss the case with the adjuster or answer questions about your injuries or how you are feeling. Also, you should not agree to give the adjuster a recorded statement. Remember, that the insurance company is not your friend and the adjuster is not concerned about your injuries. The adjuster is intent on getting a statement from you that will best assist the company down the road in either defending their insured's negligence action or minimizing your injuries. Finally, if you suffered an injury in the collision, than you need to do two things. You need to seek medical advice because your health is paramount to your property damage or any potential case. And once you have received medical attention you need to obtain a personal injury attorney who knows how to handle this type of a claim. You need someone on your side who knows how to protect you and your interests. Insurance companies and their adjusters are not concerned about you, your injuries or your claim. They are only concerned about the bottom line. We at The Law Offices of David S. Greene, L.L.C. know the ins-and-outs of personal injury claims and litigation and as we have said in the past, calling us after a motor vehicle collision is the most important call you will ever make.