What To Do After a Car Accident

Posted on January 8, 2012 by John Foy

Car accidents are an unfortunate part of life, with in excess of 5 million crashes a year in the United States.  For many facing their first accident or a serious accident the question of what to do after a car accident is foremost in their mind.

Nearly one-third of all accidents per year result in injury. In facty, in 2001, 42,000 people died as a direct result of vehicle accidents.  Knowing what to do after a car accident could not only save your life, but also the lives of others involved in your particular car accident.

John Foy is one of Georgia’s leading law firms with a vast wealth of knowledge about what to do after a car accident. If you are involved in a car accident, try to remain calm, and follow these steps:

  1. Safety First

If you’ve been in an accident and you are not seriously injured, move the involved vehicles to the side of the road. Getting out of the way of incoming traffic is important as cars left in the middle of an intersection, road or highway can cause more accidents.  If your car cannot be moved, everyone should remain in the car with your seatbelts fastened until help arrives. Turn on your hazards and set out flares, cones or other warning devices if you have them.

  1. Contact Information & Accident Details

This is Driver’s Ed 101, but it bears repeating. After an accident, exchange the following information with other parties involved in the accident: name, address, phone number, email address, insurance company and policy number, driver license number and license plate number. This information should be exchanged with every driver involved in the accident.  At this time also document the condition of all involved cars and take photographs of the damage. Get all contact information from any witnesses at this point as well.

  1. File An Accident Report

All involved drivers should file an accident report as soon as possible after the car accident. An accident report often helps to speed up the insurance company’s claims process.

  1. Know What Your Car Insurance Covers

Be well versed in your insurance policy’s coverage long before an accident happens.  Specifically you will want to know if your insurance covers the costs of towing and rental cars.

Car accidents are a fact of life and knowing what to do after a car accident can make a huge difference. Being prepared for all the nuisances and inconveniences that follow a car accident can make the whole path easier to navigate.  A good car accident lawyer such as John Foy and Associates can help you through the obstacle course that is a car accident’s aftermath.

About John Foy

Google Plus Profile+. Attorney John M. Foy is the founding partner of the law firm Foy & Associates, P.C. He was admitted to the practice of law in 1993 for the State of Georgia. He was also admitted to the U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia in that same year. He is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a graduate of Marquette University High School. He received a B.A. in political science from the University of Dayton, in Dayton, Ohio, and his law degree from the Ohio Northern University School of Law, in Ada, Ohio. Mr. Foy has devoted his entire career to the area of auto accident attorney atlanta and insurance law. He devotes 100% of his practice to representing victims who have been injured by others negligence. He has conducted numerous jury trials throughout Georgia. John Foy is a car accident lawyer and focuses on car acident attorney atlanta cases. He has focused on wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases, as well as cases involving punitive damages. He has handled a substantial number of premises liability cases as well. He has also been very involved with mass tort litigation. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the American Association of Justice, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, as well as the Atlanta Bar Association.
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