CALIFORNIA CAR
ACCIDENT RULES
If your car is involved in an accident, don't leave the
scene of the accident. If you leave you may be subject to criminal
prosecution. After a collision try not to move your vehicles until
the police arrive in order to allow the policeman to survey the
scene and evidence regarding how the accident occurred. If your
vehicles are obstructing the flow of traffic, try to move your
vehicle the shortest distance possible from the place of impact
without obstructing further traffic. Remain at the scene of the
accident and have others who have witnessed the occurrence
immediately contact the police. If you are injured, do not exit your
vehicle.
When
you have been the victim of someone else's negligence operating
their automobile, it is important that you contact the local police
department immediately in order to preserve your rights. Do not
allow the other operator to tell you that this should be handled
without police. Calling the police department is especially
important step if you feel any pain or injury as a result of the
accident. Remember, if there is a lawsuit latter on, the other party
in the accident may have a completely different story when the
matter reaches court.
Many people, even when they feel pain, will refuse medical
attention at the scene and travel home. Then, after several hours of
increasing pain, they will finally go to the emergency room. When
their case reaches court, this delay in seeking medical attention is
often used against them as a weapon to prove that the accident did
not cause the injury. If you feel pain at an accident scene and an
ambulance is offered, utilize the ambulance services or go
immediately to the closest emergency room.
Get the following information with the Other Driver
1. Name,
address, telephone number, driver's license number, name of
insurance company, and policy number;
2. Names of passengers, including their address and phone number;
3. Names of witnesses with address and phone number; and
4. Names of the owner, if not the driver, including address, phone
number, insurance company, and policy number.
Make notes as to the time of day, weather conditions, road
conditions, street lights, and the presence or length of skid marks.
Try to make a diagram noting the location of the vehicles,
crosswalks, stop signs, and traffic signals.
When you exchange information with the other driver and
give the facts to the police, do not feel obligated to admit
responsibility for the accident. The things that you say immediately
following an accident may be used against you.
Get an attorney to help you! Your own insurance company must
be contacted in the appropriate way with information regarding your
personal injury. Medical benefits need to be secured as well as any
benefits that may be available for an uninsured or underinsured
vehicle accident. Failure to properly notify the company through an
attorney may lead to problems later.
In cases involving injury, it is important that you receive
proper medical care. A doctor may recognize injuries, sometimes
serious, that are not readily apparent from the first Emergency Room
visit. The charges for a doctor's visit and medical treatment can be
covered by insurance.
|