Contact your insurance company and tell a representative that you were in an accident. Letting your insurance company know about the accident is a good idea for a couple of reasons. First, oftentimes the quickest and easiest way to have your vehicle repaired after an accident is to use your own collision coverage, even if the accident was caused by the other driver. Your insurance company is much more likely to treat you kindly and make getting your car repaired much easier because you are their customer. This is a win-win for your company because they can make you happy while knowing that they can recoup the money paid by subrogating against the insurance company for the at-fault driver. And, even though you will initially lose your deductible, it is likely your insurance company will recover the deductible for you when it gets its money.
The second reason you want to let your insurance company know about the accident is because in order to recover uninsured or under-insured motorist coverage, your policy will require you to give your company notice within a certain period of time. Letting the company know immediately after the collision will most certainly satisfy the notice requirements should it become clear later that the other driver is uninsured or under-insured.
Your company may want to take a recorded statement from you, especially if it appears the other driver may be uninsured or under-insured. You are generally required under your insurance contract to give such a statement. When you do, answer the questions honestly, but do not let the adjuster put words in your mouth — especially about the effect of your injuries and whether they were caused in the accident. If you were seriously injured in the accident, you probably should not give the recorded statement without your lawyer being on the phone with you. Although it is your insurance company, if you ultimately make a claim for uninsured or under-insured motorist coverage, your company becomes the party you are suing for — in other words, the enemy. In this situation, the insurance adjuster who is interviewing you will want to get you to say that you are not injured greatly or that the injuries existed prior to the accident. Never give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company. You are not required to give a statement to the other insurance company and really nothing good can come from it.
Get medical treatment if you need it. If you are injured (whether obvious or not so obvious) at the scene, go to the hospital or your family doctor as soon as possible. If you are badly hurt, you will want to go immediately to the emergency room, preferably by ambulance. After being released from the hospital, if you continue to need medical treatment, get it. Follow-up with your family doctor and/or seek the expertise of a specialist, like an orthopedic surgeon or neurologist, if necessary. The most important reason for getting early, consistent, and high-level treatment is because you want to get better and hopefully completely heal from your injuries. But please also understand that any significant (and sometimes not so significant) gaps in treatment will be used by the other driver’s insurance company to deny or low-ball any claim you ultimately make for personal injuries. Do not wait to get treatment if you are in pain, it will hurt your case.