Protect your legal rights after a car accident by collecting these five pieces of information from the at-fault driver.
Car accidents are traumatizing and upsetting, especially when they are caused by the negligence of another driver. It may be difficult to remain calm and act logically. However, in order to prevent the situation from worsening and to protect your legal rights, you must take some essential steps. (Read these additional tips to follow if you are involved in a car accident).
At the scene of the accident, the victim should act in a calm manner and gather all important pieces of information that can help the claim process. Remember, you just have one chance to gather information that you need for the claim process, so it is important to do it right the first time. Collect the following information from the at-fault driver and in as much detail as possible.
Contact Information
You must know the contact details of the other driver to pursue a car accident claim. Get the driver’s name, phone number, home address, and email address. It might be possible that the driver is not the owner of the vehicle, in which case you should also gather the contact details of the owner and how he or she is related to the driver. Count the number of passengers who were in the car at the time of the accident.
Insurance Information
Collect the name of the insurer, policy number, and phone number of the driver’s insurance company.
License Plate Number
Note down the license plate number of the other driver’s vehicle, and if the vehicle is from another state, indicate the state the vehicle is from.
Driver’s License Number
Gather the details of the other person’s driver’s license number. Note down the license number and the state that issued the license.
Details of the Other Vehicle
Note down the model, make, and year of the vehicle. You may not be able to collect any information once the other driver leaves the scene of the accident, so you must act in a timely manner.
Other Important Pieces of Evidence
If there were any eye witnesses to the accident, collect their contact details as well. They may give an account of the events from a different perspective that may be helpful. Get contact information of the police officer on the scene so you can request a copy of the accident report. Take photographs at the accident site that show the damage to the vehicle and injuries suffered in the accident. Take a number of photographs from different angles that capture any skid marks, nearby markers, positions of the vehicles involved in the accident, debris, and the intersection. Note down the details of events leading up to the accident, because memories may fade over time, but a written account will always be helpful.
