What should I do after a car accident?

The Answer

If you've been in a car accident, the first thing you need to do is get safe. Stay calm and take a breath. Call 911. If you can, stay at the scene until police officers arrive. Swap the essentials with the other drivers (name, phone, license, and insurance information). Document everything as much as you can: photos of vehicles, skid marks, traffic signals, the weather, lighting, your injuries, and any property damage. If there were witnesses, get their names and phone numbers.

Then go to the emergency room, even if you "feel fine." Hidden injuries surface later, and the medical records help anchor your claim to the car accident. Don't worry about how you will pay for medical bills if you don't have health insurance, as the auto insurance companies will almost certainly cover the bills.

Even if you think you might be at fault, don't admit fault yet. A proper investigation might uncover that you weren't actually at fault, so best not to admit anything yet. Don't leave without exchanging info with the other parties or notifying the police, as this could make you seem like the at-fault driver or worse, a hit-and-run. Don't give a recorded statement or sign anything until you have spoken to a lawyer. And don't accept the insurance companie's initial lowball settlement offer.

Finally, contact a Denver car accident lawyer that is willing to take your case to trial. A car accident lawyer will investigate, secure footage and 911 tapes, chase down witnesses, preserve vehicle data, manage your medical treatment logistics, and build the damages file (with medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, future care, and pysical impairment documentation).

Contacting a lawyer is more time-sensitive than most people realize, as evidence can be lost if a lawyer doesn't get involved from the beginning and sometimes car accident victims can unintentionally hurt their own damages claim by delaying contact with a lawyer.

How we build and win car accident cases is covered in depth on the main practice page.