What Should I Do After an Accident?
What Should I Do after a Car Accident in Detroit?
When you’re in an automobile accident, it’s jarring, nerve-wracking, chaotic and confusing.
Conditions can be unpredictable. Collisions happen fast.
These are difficult situations to handle. But if you follow the right steps after an accident, you can protect your interests—and get the money you need to get your life back to normal.
Follow the guide on this page to respond to an accident and deal with a difficult insurance company.
But first, call an attorney at Levine Benjamin Law Firm.
In addition to your personal injury case, we can help you maximize any compensation you should receive from Social Security Disability benefits, long-term disability insurance or workers’ compensation.
Levine Benjamin has been helping people with injuries and financial worries in Metro Detroit and all across Michigan since 1964.
What would you like to do?
Get More Answers:
8 Things You Should Do after an Accident
Your path to fully recovering from your accident begins in the first few moments after it happens.
Try to stay calm, and do the following:
- Contact law enforcement. Even if your accident seems small, call 911 and report it. You might have injuries that aren’t immediately apparent. Your vehicle may have more damage than is obvious. Reporting the collision creates an official record of what happened.
- Get medical attention. Take care of your physical well-being first. See a doctor or other health care provider immediately. And documentation that you sought treatment will be important to your case later.
- Exchange insurance information. You’ll need to exchange insurance information with the driver of the other vehicle. Let your insurance company know you’ve been in an accident—but be careful what you say to insurance representatives.
- Stick to the facts. When you’re talking to the police, the other driver, or insurance, don’t admit fault—even if you think you bear some responsibility for the accident. Tell them only the facts of what happened, not your opinion.
- Document the scene. If you have the presence of mind and are physically able, take photos of the accident scene.
- Get witness contacts. Gather contact information from any witnesses who happened to be close and saw what happened.
- Be careful on social media. It can be tempting to tell your friends or followers about the crash, or to post pictures or videos. Resist the temptation. Insurance companies can use your social media posts against you. The best course is to stay entirely off social media until your case is settled.
- Don’t take a quick settlement. Insurance companies want to close your case as fast as they can. You might want to get it over with, too. But don’t accept what the insurance company offers at face value. Talk to a lawyer to make sure you’re not getting shortchanged.
After a car accident, work with a Levine Benjamin attorney who works for you, not the insurance company.
Get Help after an Accident
Even the best insurance company with top notch customer service isn’t always looking out for your needs.
The people you talk to might seem like they genuinely want to help, but they work for a company. That company’s main interest is making money, not maximizing your compensation.
Contacting an experienced personal injury lawyer at Levine Benjamin can make a difference in the outcome of your case.
We’ll evaluate your case for free.