A. Make sure to stop your vehicle in safe spot - don’t impede traffic

If you are in a collision, make sure you stop in a safe spot. Blocking traffic can cause secondary collisions.

If necessary, set warning flares or reflective triangles for at least 50 feet from your car to alert oncoming traffic to the collision, but remember, be careful when doing so.

B. Check yourself and passengers for injuries

The first order of business: “is anyone injured.” If someone is injured, do not move the cars. Provide assistance to the other vehicles’ passengers as soon as you are able. Find out if anyone is injured, and assess the severity of any injuries. This will make sure that you are able to give all the necessary details when calling to report the collision.

C. Call police

Always call the police. Give the license plate information, and let them know if there are injuries or road obstructions. This is especially true if someone is injured.

D. Exchange and obtain information

Always obtain identifying information about the other driver, any passengers, and the other vehicle. Make sure you write the information directly from the driver’s license and insurance card. If you can, get both home and work phone numbers. Make sure you determine who was driving and who the owner of the vehicle is. Also, write down whether the other driver or any passengers claim to have been injured. Write down any damage to the other vehicle that you believe pre-existed this collision. Note the time and weather conditions, including the conditions of the road - for example, wet, icy, or dry.

E. State facts of collision but not your opinion of fault

When you discuss the collision with anyone at the collision scene, detail the facts as you know them but it’s best to avoid giving your opinion as to fault.

F. Look for witnesses

An independent witness is very valuable to your case, so get their information and try to ensure they will be available to give their statement to the police. Make sure you obtain each witness name, address, and phone number, especially if police do not arrive at the scene of the collision before the witness leaves. Ask them to put their observations in writing and provide these statements to the investigating officer. By asking them to do so right away, you are helping them preserve their recollection. Unfortunately, with the passage of time, people’s memory and perception of events may change.

G. Call an attorney for free advice

Most good personal injury attorneys provide free advice on the telephone or in person. Before you provide any statement to your own insurance company, or the other person’s insurance company, it is absolutely critical that you get advice from an attorney. Insurance adjusters make a living by getting recorded statements over the phone that they can use against you later.

Talk to a qualified attorney for free: If you get in an accident, you should speak to a qualified attorney. It’s almost always free. There’s many reasons you should do this (see my article entitled: Top 10 Reasons To Make A Free Call To An Attorney First). The key is to make sure the attorney is qualified.

If you like, you may call me or email me and I’d be glad to help you find the top attorney in your area. The best way to email me is to get your claim value by filling out the 10 questions in the free Claim Calculator link below. That will give me both your email address and specific information about your case (amount of property damage, medical bills, wage loss, etc.) I’m able to find, through trial lawyer association list-serves and other means, the top attorneys in every area of the United States. I communicate directly with the attorney about your case particulars, and if he’s willing to meet with you, I connect you with the attorney so you can schedule a time to meet or speak about your case.

Komron Michael Allahyari, Esq. has been practicing law for over 17 years and is the founding member of Washington Law Group http://walawgroup.com He has handled multi-million dollar personal injury cases in several states and recently invented the free Claim Calculator for injured people to obtain a quick valuation for their claim http://collisionwizard.bbbvideo.com/cw1