After you’ve been involved in a car accident, there are a number of important records you should obtain and keep on hand, especially if you’re hoping to pursue a personal injury claim to obtain compensation for your injuries and damages.
While every case and scenario is different, the following outlines some of the key documents and records you should gather after an automobile accident.
First Steps to Take After a Car Accident Occurs
If you have been in a car accident, there are a number of things you’ll want to address immediately.
Seek Medical Attention, If Needed
Your first concern should be to obtain prompt and appropriate medical treatment for you and your passengers. If injuries have occurred, this should be your absolute first priority.
Inform Your Insurance Carrier
Following the accident, you should immediately place your insurance carrier on notice of the accident, providing information about any injuries and medical treatment that occurred as a result.
Steps to Take If You’re Planning to Bring a Claim for Your Injuries
After taking the steps mentioned above, if you are at all considering bringing a claim for your injuries (or have concern that the other driver may bring a claim against you), there are some additional steps that you should immediately take, to preserve your ability to pursue recovery later.
Take Photos of the Accident Scene
We recommend that immediately after a car accident, you take photographs of the accident scene, the vehicles, and any visible injuries, such as fractures, bruises, and scars. A photo of a victim, in their hospital bed, their arm in a sling, and bruises still apparent, will obviously have much more impact then simply describing injuries to a jury.
Record Your Memory of the Events
While most claims are promptly resolved, litigation can also be very time-consuming, and it could actually take several years from the date of the accident until recovery is obtained. As a general rule, a victim of an accident has up to three years to file a complaint.
If litigation is commenced, it may take several more years to proceed through discovery and to trial. It is not uncommon for a trial to take place five years after an accident has occurred. Obviously, with the passage of time, one’s memory will fade. Therefore, it is critical to immediately take steps to record your memory of events.
Write down your recollection of the event as soon as possible after it occurred. This will help you to preserve important details that could be valuable when it comes to pursuing compensation.
Keep a Journal as You Recover
In addition, consider keeping a journal. You do not need to keep detailed and complex notes, but can simply record how you are feeling, how long you were confined to a bed or your home, how the accident has limited your activities, what sort of medical treatment you are obtaining, and what your medical providers have told you.
Your notes should be made as those complaints or incidents occur, rather than recording them with hindsight, some time later.
As with photos, a contemporaneously-maintained journal can be very compelling evidence. If you do keep a journal, simply be aware that it would have to be turned over in discovery, and could be used as evidence against you, so you may not want to include private information in your notes.
Get The Help You Need Pursuing the Compensation You Deserve Following a Car Accident
If you have been involved in an accident and have questions about what you can to do protect your rights of recovery, please contact the experienced car accident attorneys at Maynard, O’Connor, Smith & Catalinotto for assistance. Give us a call at (800) 721-3553 or contact us online to get the conversation started today. We’d be happy to answer your questions, review your case, and help you seek the compensation you deserve.
Looking for additional information about what to do following a car accident? The following resources are a good place to start:
What To Do After a Car Accident – Find out what to do at the scene of the accident in the moments following a crash, plus learn about what will be expected of you in the days, weeks, and months following the accident.
How to Obtain a Car Accident Police Report in New York State – Find out how to go about getting the accident report from the agency that responded to your accident when it occurred so you can have it on hand if you choose to pursue compensation.
Documents Your Attorney Will Need to Help You Pursue a Personal Injury Claim – Want to move forward with pursuing compensation for your injuries and damages? Learn about the materials you will need to provide to your personal injury lawyer to get your claim underway.
Editor’s note: This content was originally published in 2014 but has been updated as of February 2019.
