Top 5 Things to do After an Auto Accident

Were you involved in an auto accident and you want to do next? Check out this short video to learn the Top 5 things to do After an Auto Accident.

Hey everyone, my name is Barry Zlotowicz and I’m a personal injury attorney in Chicago Illinois.

Welcome to the LawFull channel. On this channel you’re going to find short videos on the legal topics that affect our lives.

In this video, we’re going to address the Top 5 things you should if you are involved in a car accident.

1. Ok, so the first first thing to do is to Call police. Sounds like a no brainer right but so many people call and say they were in an accident but didn’t call police and file a report. That can be a big mistake. I did another video on this channel about why its important to call the police after an accident but just a quick summary is that:

The insurance company wants it - last thing you want is an insurance adjuster questioning what happened in the accident

Second it documents what happens in an accident – this is especially important if you’re not at fault for the accident. Why?

Stories change – seen so many situations where an accident occurs, the driver at the scene says no need to call the police, he’ll take responsibility and then you call the insurance company and the other driver’s story changed all the sudden you’re at fault for the accident. If you had a police report you could overcome it but now its based on the physical evidence

The second thing to do after a car crash is get the other person’s information if you possibly can. Name, address, and phone number and their auto insurance info and even their license plate…. If the person gives you their number check it at the scene of the accident.

Now if you don’t get this info, all is not lost. The police if you called them will get it for you. But then, you’ll have to wait until the police report comes out to get the info and that could take weeks.

The third thing to do after an auto accident - get Medical treatment. Seems obvious again right – but I get calls all the time from people who were involved in an accident, didn’t go to the ER, went home and a couple days they’re in a lot of pain. Then they finally get medical attention.

You’re going to have to explain to the insurance company why you waited. And I’m telling you they are going to fight you on this. They will use your delay to try and diminish your claim.

Some people ask should you go to the ER or your doctor? I don’t care – get medical treatment.

The fourth thing to do after an auto accident ----- File a claim – I highly recommend that you call BOTH insurance companies.

This one is not so obvious to people. Filing a claim with the other’s guys insurance if you weren’t at fault is a no brainer but people are always surprised when I say they should file with their own insurance.

First of all, if you read your insurance contract, you are probably contractually obligated to report any accident you are involved in – and failure to report could jeopardize your policy

Second, you may have coverage that comes into play – you might have a medpay or pip coverage that can pay for your medical bills (or) you might have collision coverage that can help you get your car fixed faster than going through the other guys insurance company.

And importantly, you may have UM or UIM coverage. What’s that? Well UM stands for uninsured motorist coverage and UIM is underinsured motorist coverage. I’ve talked at length on this channel about this topic.

But let’s take a hypothetical situation – if the guy who hits you is uninsured or doesn’t have enough insurance to cover your damages, you may be able to go after your own UM or UIM coverage to recover for your injuries.

Ok, the last thing you should do if you can, take photos of the vehicle and your injuries. Images really do speak volumes in showing the severity of impact or the severity of your injuries. So many cases where the difference in recovery hinged on having great photos or videos to document what happened

Ok, thanks for checking out this short video. If you suffered injuries in an auto accident and have some questions, put them in the comments section.