Information You Should Exchange After a Traffic Accident: Info from a Personal Injury Attorney in Miami, FL

If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident out on the road, you’re required by law to remain at the accident site. Part of the reason for this is that you need to communicate with anyone else who’s been involved in the accident to gather some important personal information, as well as information from other people at the site of the accident, like witnesses, that could affect a potential personal injury or insurance claim.

Here are some examples of the information you should specifically seek out:

• Basic information about any other drivers: Your first step should be to collect basic identifying information about any other drivers involved in the collision. This should include names, addresses and vehicle details, along with the time and place the accident occurred.
• Information for potential insurance claims: You should also be sure to collect any information that could potentially be useful in ensuing insurance claims. This includes driver’s license numbers, phone numbers, names and contact information of the registered owners of the vehicle (if different than the person driving), insurance policy details for other drivers and any other such information. It can be helpful to take pictures of driver’s licenses in addition to jotting down notes.
• Location information: This isn’t information you exchange, so to speak, but it’s still important to collect. Go to your Maps app and screenshot your location. You can also drop a pin on your current location to get more precise geophysical coordinates.
• Witness information: If there are any witnesses at the scene of the accident, it’s critical you talk to them and collect their names and contact information, as well as a brief overview of what they saw occur. If they seem like they’re going to be able to back up your story, then having their account of the action is going to be critical to the success of your case.
• Police report information: Police officers who arrive at the scene will collect information and then file an official police report in their department. Make sure you get information from the officers about which department they came from, as well as the official filing number for your police report so you can access it later. This report can contain some important information for the success of your case.

As a general rule, it’s better to collect too much information than not enough information. If you have insufficient information, you’ll find it hard to process an insurance claim, much less succeed in a personal injury case.

Much of your ability to find success in your claim hinges on the actions you take in the first 10 to 15 minutes after the collision. Considering the elevated levels of stress you’re already likely to be feeling after you’ve been involved in an accident, this can put a fair bit of pressure on you to proceed wisely.

To learn more about the important information to collect after an accident and how you can then use it in your case, contact an experienced personal injury attorney in Miami, FL today.

Categorised in: Personal Injury Attorney