What to do after a minor car accident? After a minor car accident, you should call 911 so there is an official report and medical care available, exchange information with the other driver, capture imagery of the scene, and call an Arlington car accident lawyer for a free consultation to see if you have recoverable damages. Even minor accidents can cause a lot of harm.
Stay at the Scene Even if There Are Only Minor Injuries and Property Damage
You are required by law to stay at the scene, so following this advice is ideal to keep you from risking dealing with hit-and-run charges. Even if you are just bumped from behind without any visible damage, save yourself the trouble later and stay at the scene.
If you drive off without ever following any other steps, you basically guarantee you will not have a shot at getting compensation for any damages. Underestimating a minor car accident can be one of the biggest mistakes to avoid after a car accident.
The simple act of staying at the scene is a key thing to do after a minor car accident that allows you to engage with first responders, gather evidence, exchange information with the other driver, and generally stay compliant with the law. Just by sticking around, you could also notice damage that you might not have otherwise.
Call Law Enforcement to the Scene
A minor car accident may seem like it is no big deal at the time. Maybe you would qualify it as something like a fender bender. In these cases, it may seem excessive to call the authorities, but getting law enforcement and medical first responders on the scene can ensure everyone is safer.
Law enforcement can make sure that the scene stays in control and that an official report is made so that there is documentation about who was at fault. The other driver could potentially be very agitated, creating an unsafe environment. The hope here is that law enforcement could keep them at bay so you can handle your business.
Accidents that do not have much physical damage to vehicles could still cause injuries, even if they are not immediately apparent. Whiplash can have symptoms that creep up weeks after a minor car accident. This and other conditions can potentially change your abilities to function as you normally would.
Exchange Information with The Other Driver
It is required by Texas Transportation Code § 550.023 that you and any other drivers involved in the minor car accident exchange information with each other. This is so that everyone knows who to send damage recovery to and who to receive it from. This is the exact information you are required to share:
- Name
- Address
- Vehicle registration number
- Name of your insurance
- Driver’s license, if requested
Just by completing this step, you have laid the foundation to have a clear path to your source of compensation. It is their insurance that an attorney can talk to to make sure they pay out what they are supposed to, instead of finding a way out of paying at all.
Gather Evidence of the Minor Car Accident Scene
There is a possibility that your minor car accident will have to go to court for either settlement negotiations. If you are owed damages and are having difficulties with the at-fault driver or their insurance company, you may need to establish negligence in court.
Securing this means that collecting evidence after a car accident should be a high priority.
Photos and Video
Capturing a variety of visual media can prove to be very strong evidence in court. When a photo clearly shows the detailed extent of damage, the weather conditions, the state of the road, and the surrounding traffic, there is little left to doubt.
Video can be good for showing the dynamic conditions of the scene in real time, which can illustrate extraneous factors that could pose more risk than initially thought.
Witness Testimony
Your account of events and the other driver’s account of events will both likely be taken into consideration already. Getting the input from other people who may have seen the accident will be a valuable part of what to do after a minor car accident to confirm any conflicting information you and the other driver may have.
Documentation
Documents that are made and kept on file will be beneficial for having an official record of events and injuries. An official record can give us grounds to argue certain points that may lack in other evidence.
Medical records can be good confirmation for severe injuries, although if they tell of very minor injuries that will likely heal quickly and fully, we will know that this is not something we should push.
Physical Items
A minor accident could still knock parts off your vehicle or damage other personal property. Keeping something like a broken-off side-view mirror or the broken pieces of a taillight will be great to show the exact extent of damage.
Contact a Car Accident Attorney For a Minor Car Accident
Call a lawyer after a minor car accident, because you can at least have a free consultation to know much better whether you can file a lawsuit or if there is really nothing to pursue.
Even without a full lawsuit or settlement negotiations, having a lawyer talk to the insurance companies is a good way to make sure you have someone with experience fighting to get your full entitled payout.
Every case can be very different. It could even be that your damage is very little, but the accident included a lot of other vehicles with much more damage. What is minor for you may not have been for them. There could even be a class action lawsuit if the number of similar plaintiffs is high enough.
A good lawyer will make sure to walk you through the car accident trial process if things rise to that level, or at least explain how car accident settlements are reached.
If you are considering filing a car accident case, consider contacting an experienced lawyer so that your path to compensation is much smoother.
At The Texas Law Dog, We Don’t Just Bark. We Bite
At The Texas Law Dog, we have extensive experience helping people recover what they are owed after a minor car accident.
Knowing what to do after a minor car accident can help protect the integrity of your claim. Let an Arlington car accident attorney help you through the claims process today.
