If you experience a car accident, you may feel overwhelmed at that moment. Many victims of car accidents suffer injuries and remain in a state of shock, unable to think of the right steps to take. The sudden shock of a car crash and physical and emotional effects can make it difficult to remember exactly what to do and what to say to the other person. Consider the following steps to take after a car accident and learn the type of information that should be exchanged to ensure your legal rights remain protected.
Before you get to the step of exchanging information, you should immediately contact 911 or the police. The police need to create an accident report for serious car accidents under Arizona law, A.R.S. Statute 28-667. After the police arrive, make sure to accept medical evaluation and treatment if necessary. If you fail to accept any kind of medical evaluation or the ambulance to a hospital, make sure to go to a medical provider as soon as possible following the car accident. This is critical not only for your own health and safety but also to provide a foundation upon which you can build a strong personal injury case in order to receive compensation for your injuries and losses. Additionally, it is important to always return to a health care provider if you discover any new symptoms or if your symptoms worsen in any way. Make sure to always request a copy of the car accident from the Arizona Police Department Records Unit following your accident, which takes approximately 14 days to complete.
Under Arizona law A.R.S. Statute 28-633, certain information must be exchanged between parties following a car accident. Information is important to gather after your car accidents as it helps insurance companies and your attorney begin to conduct their investigations into the accident, which helps determine liability and responsibility for the accident. The following information should be exchanged after all car accidents.
You should attempt to obtain both the first and last names of every driver and passenger involved in the car accident. Additionally, if any witnesses saw the accident occur, you should obtain their full names as well. This is critical as it helps develop a full spectrum of people either involved or witness to the accident in order to help complete an accurate investigation. It is always important to get the correct spelling of their names, and if the name appears to be a common one (Joe Smith) then ask for a middle name or initial as well.
Along with full names, you should request the contact information of all drivers, passengers, and witnesses to the accident. Contact information should include a phone number, email and physical address. There may be some people who consider this a lot of information to disclose, however, it is best to attempt to obtain as much contact information as possible so that it makes it easier for insurance companies and attorneys to contact them at a later time in case they need to be served paperwork.
Unfortunately, some people may lie when giving contact information. Therefore, it is important to request the driver’s license information and driver’s license number of every driver, passenger, and witness to the accident. This will allow you to confirm the information they provide. In some cases, a person may not have a driver’s license. Make sure to collect any information that they have through any personal identification they may offer.
The Arizona Department of Transportation requires that every vehicle has a license plate in the state of Arizona. Make sure to obtain the vehicle license plate number of every vehicle involved in the accident. Along with the license plate number, make sure to note the make, model, color, and year of every vehicle, including any other additional unique characteristics. Some characteristics that may prove important in a car accident case could include tinted windows or specialized wheels that may have contributed to the accident. In fact, the state of Arizona has very specific laws regarding the amount of window tint legally allowed on passenger vehicles.
The Arizona Department of Insurance requires all drivers to carry minimum insurance coverage if they operate a motor vehicle within Arizona. You should obtain the insurance information (typically located on the insurance card) of the driver of every person involved in the accident. The easiest way to obtain this information is to simply ask for their insurance card, and copy the policy type, policy number, name of the insurance company and any other relevant information. You should also ask if the policyholder of the driver is different from that of the owner of the vehicle. If the owner of the vehicle is different than the driver, you should attempt to get a copy of the owner’s insurance information as well.
As a courtesy, you should also ask the drivers, passengers, and witnesses how they prefer to be contacted with respect to the car accident in the future. Some people have jobs where they can not receive any form of contact and would prefer to speak after business hours or on the weekends. In other cases, some people may prefer visiting through email. While this is not a requirement, it is a polite way to ensure that you respect the wishes of those involved in the accident.
Sometimes a picture speaks a thousand words. While this is not exactly information to be exchanged, it may prove to be a wise move to take pictures at the scene of the accident. Taking pictures of both your vehicle as well as other vehicles can be important later when determining liability for the car accident. You can take photographs of your injuries, however, in order to take photographs of the injuries of other persons, you will need to typically obtain their consent to do so.
Additionally, one way to ensure that you obtain all of the information exchanged after an accident correctly is to take photographs of the license plates, other vehicles, insurance cards, driver’s licenses, and other information provided. This will help ensure that there are no errors transcribing the numbers and information and that you have a digital record of all critical information as well as a written one.
If you experienced a car accident, obtaining information immediately after the collision remains a critical part of ensuring that you record vital information to help you obtain compensation for your injuries and losses suffered as a result of the accident. Visiting with an experienced car accident attorney can help you understand if you collected all necessary information, as well as help you obtain the rest of the information you need in order to build a strong personal injury case. Consider visiting with a car accident attorney following your accident to ensure that your legal rights remain protected and that you have all of the evidence and information you need to receive the compensation and justice you deserve.
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