What to do if you are in a car accident in Indiana?
In most emergency situations if you give some consideration to what you will do if you are confronted with the emergency, you will be able to deal with the issues more efficiently. This is especially true of automobile collisions, motorcycle accidents and semi tractor-trailer collisions. There is always a good chance that you will be seriously hurt in the collision, which makes it even more difficult to think clearly. We offer the following information which we found on the State of Indiana BMV website.
It is essential to remain calm. Check your breathing and try to get control of your thoughts. You are likely to be in shock, which might make thinking clearly and calmly more difficult.
Before taking any other action, check yourself and other individuals involved in the accident for injuries. If there are any injuries or at least $1,000 in property damage, call the police.
Cooperate with law enforcement officers, and ask the investigating officer how to obtain a copy of the police report.
Take notes. Be sure to provide and obtain the following information:
- Names, addresses, and phone numbers of all drivers and passengers involved in the accident;
- License plate number, make, model, and a description of each car involved;
- Operator license number and insurance identification information of all drivers involved;
- Names and addresses of as many witnesses as possible;
- Names and badge numbers of all police officers at the scene.
We suggest that you add to this list that if you cannot do these things, ask someone to do them for you if you can. We have seen it happen very often that the police do not obtain all the names of the witnesses at the scene. They might get a few, but not all. Your task it to get the identifying information from all witnesses. You never know who will have seen what.
Contact your insurance provider as soon as possible. Ask them to file a Certificate of Compliance (COC) covering the date of the accident in the vehicles involved. Failure to submit proof of insurance after an accident may result in the suspension of your driving privileges regardless of who is at fault.
Do not give a statement to the insurance company for the person who caused the collision until they agree present their insured for a statement at the same time as they obtain a statement from you. Afterall it is only fair that if they want your statement, you should be able to obtain a statement from their insured, who is the person you think caused the collision and your injuries.
If you have any questions about your rights, please call us. Our free consultation may be able to relieve you of the anxiety of dealing with these issues.