Most people generally want to get on their way and don’t want to wait for the police to arrive at the scene of a car accident. If you are injured and you call 911, police, ambulance, or the fire department will arrive on the scene shortly. However, if you say you are not injured, police will take much longer to come to the scene.

It is a good idea to have the police come to the scene and an ambulance to check you out because often times you will not know how bad you are actually injured. The best thing for you could be to go to the hospital and get checked out. However, after a car accident injury, a lot of people are running off of adrenaline and emotion making them feel like they are not actually hurt and making rash decisions without properly thinking. However, hours later injuries can become extreme when adrenaline begins to wear off and swelling starts to manifest itself.

Having the police come to the scene of a Seattle car accident is a great thing because they can document the scene, interview the defendant, get statements, and be an independent witness that verifies your side of the story. They can also write down contact information of potential witnesses, get accurate information from the defendant including their insurance and contact information from a person you may not want to talk to since they just caused your world to be rocked by the car accident they caused.

If you don’t call 911 or wait for the police, you should make sure you do these things:

1. Take pictures of the damage to the other person’s car and accident scene before it is moved off the road, if possible –You want to make sure you have a good independent witness like a picture that can show what happened. A picture is worth 1,000 words and can make or break your case. A picture can show the severity of the impact by showing what condition the other person’s car is in. The insurance company may try to hide this information without filing a lawsuit if not and claim the impact was so minor that no one could have been injured. Your car could show little damage because bumpers are very strong on some cars but show tremendous damage on the other person’s car.
2. Get witness contact information – It is always good to have a witness on your side. Immediately, try to get someone who saw what happened at the car accident to give you their contact information in case the other driver tries to lie about who was at fault and what happened. A short hello did you see what happened and can I have your phone number and name is all you need.
3. Exchange information with the defendant – You need to make sure you have all the information that you need from the defendant including a picture of their license, a picture of their insurance card, and a picture of their registration. A picture is so fast and easy that this should take you no time at all. It will be important to have this information in case the other person decides to give you false information about who they are and their insurance numbers.
4. Do not admit liability or say you are fine to the defendant or anyone – If the police, insurance company for either party, or the defendant interview you, do not say you are sorry and you are not injured if that is not true. The police will write a report saying your exact words so be careful what you say. This can and will be used against you. If you have a twinge in your neck that was not their before or a headache, let them know. Say you want to get further evaluated.

If you have been injured in a Seattle car accident, you need a Seattle personal injury lawyer immediately to help you with the insurance company and act on your behalf. You do not want to get pressured into accepting anything less than what you deserve and getting fully healed. Consultations are free and Seattle car accident lawyers are paid out of the settlement so their is no out of pocket costs to you. Therefore, everyone can afford a Seattle personal injury lawyer but you can’t afford not to have one on your side.