Below is a checklist of things to do and consider when involved in a motor vehicle accident and you believe that you have been injured.
1) Contact the local police department.
2) Seek medical attention at a hospital.
3) Notify your insurance company, if you are operating your own vehicle or a passenger in your own vehicle.
4) If you are operating a motor vehicle that is owned by another individual or a passenger in a motor vehicle that is owned by another individual, you need to find out the insurance company for that vehicle and notify them.
5) If you have insurance coverage with number 2 or 3 above, do not provide any health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid information to any of your medical providers that are providing treatment for your injuries in the motor vehicle accident. The reason is that the automobile insurance is primary coverage. Any medical bills paid by any health insurance Medicare or Medicaid, will have to be paid back to them in any settlement or judgment from a lawsuit. You will not have to pay back any medical bills paid by your automobile insurance company.
6) Seek follow-up medical attention with your primary care physician or other physician.
7) Obtain an unredacted copy of the police report.
8) Obtain a copy of the insurance declaration page for the vehicle you were operating or were a passenger in. The insurance declaration page must cover the date of the accident. The insurance declaration will provide critical information about your coverages that include personal injury protection (payment of your medical bills), threshold selection, property damage coverage and underinsured and uninsured motorists coverage.
9) Take photographs of the motor vehicle that either you were operating or a passenger in.
10) Take photographs of your injuries, if they are visible, with a camera that has a time and date stamp.
11) Contact legal counsel.