What you should really do after an auto accident.

"DMCVegas" (DMCVegas) 07/17/2014 at 12:20 • Filed to: None

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Over the years you've heard lots about what you should do after a crash. Make sure it's safe to get out, exchange information, etc. The instructions have even evolved with little bonuses like, "Carry a Disposable Camera in your Glovebox to take photos." While this isn't *bad* advice per se in itself, it is certainly not the best you can have. That's why I presenting a primer on what you should really do after an auto accident, and what tools you should have at your disposal.

Get a decent smart phone, dammit!

This is absolutely key. Lots of insurance companies, law enforcement people, and others will tell you to keep a disposable camera in your car. Um, no. Do not do this. This is bad. Most unexposed film needs to be stored at temperatures that are easily exceeded by 3x that amount just by parking your car in the sun. And then you'd have to buy ANOTHER disposable camera every 6 months or less just to keep it fresh so that if you ever do have to use it, the pictures are actually viewable. Do you really want to do this? No, you don't. Oh, and if you've taken a bad photo, no way to check on the fly if you need to reshoot it again.

You really need something with a high-quality camera and good video stabilization. Any iPhone since the 4S does the job quite nicely. And yes, I'm sure there are Android & Windows phones out there that are just as good for this purpose. But I sure as hell have no idea what the model numbers are you should buy. David Lynch films make more sense to me than the whole Android phone selection. Just be sure that a good rule of thumb is when you go to buy your new phone, you test it out in the store first. Make sure it has quick focusing time, and can clearly record video that contains both motion as well as tight zooms. If it pixelates and looks as though you've filmed things on a calculator, it's no good. Take the time and invest in quality equipment now. I'll explain why soon. Also, be sure and keep the thing charged.

Keep a pen and some paper in the car!

It's a no brainer, though if you follow my directions, it will mostly be for you to give to the other person to keep them busy. Again, I'll explain why later. But just a simple ball-point pen and a small spiral notebook to tear pages out of.

Now as Russia has shown us, a good dash cam can work wonders. But of course not all of us have them yet. A good smart phone camera can do just as much good though, if not perhaps a lot more. So let's talk about it...

OH MY GOD! YOU JUST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT!!!

So what's the first thing you should do once you've gotten hit? Check and make sure that you and your passengers are safe, of course! If someone is in need of immediate first aid, tend to them first. Safety of yourself and your party is your primary concern. If you have the opportunity to save a life now, absolutely do it. As my mother always says, "If money can fix it, it ain't broke, and no amount of money can ever bring someone back." She also says things like, "If I had your truck, and you had a feather up your ass, we'd both be tickled!" so there's that. Anyhow.... Once you and everyone else in the car are quickly deemed to be safe, what should you do next? Assess the situation. If some irate lunatic is coming at you, call 911 (999, or whatever the number is in your local). If the situation is safe to proceed...

GRAB YOUR CELLPHONE CAMERA AND FIRE IT UP!

That's right! Start filming right away! And I mean before you even get out of the car. You need to document as many things as possible, and it's never too soon to start. This is also why you need to have a good camera. Anyone who has ever seen bad home movies, or more likely amateur porn online that someone filmed with a cellphone can attest that a craptastic phone which can't handle sudden jerky movements, nor especially can't quickly got to a close-up focus, makes for a terrible viewing experience. And more than capturing fleeting memories of a drunken night out, you're now filming what could very well become legal evidence that could be presented in a court of law on your behalf. So audio and video clarity is everything.

Now that we're recording, what's the first thing that we're trying to capture? That's right!

Capture the other person on camera admitting their fault/guilt!

You don't need to say a thing most of the time, and it's probably better if you just shut the hell up for the time being to asses the situation. Sure, some people are primed for a fight. But more often than not, they're going to go into a self-defense mode. It's something that harkens back to being a small child, and wishing to escape or lessen the punishment of an enraged parent or other authority figure when we're in trouble. The result of which is an apology. It's something that most of us do without even thinking about. Hell, even when something isn't in fact our fault, we'll automatically apologize and take the blame for whatever we may or may not have done merely to avoid confrontation. It's a learned habit, but one most of us can't even stop ourselves from engaging in. And in this case it works wonders! Because guess what? You just got the other person on camera admitting their guilt.

Capture the other person walking around!

Now it goes without saying. If you're honestly too hurt to get out of the car, don't do it. Let the other person come to you. Things will most likely play out the same. It is not uncommon however for some people later on the fein injury to make things seem worse than they are. But if you can capture them right away, you can certainly help your case by having that physical documentation handy that proves their injury claims wrong.

Start documenting the accident scene!

This is very important. Memories fade, and little details that you might not remember later on can come back to haunt you. Likewise, what you don't know can hurt you just as much if not more. Document as much as possible. Film the impact area between the two vehicles. Then walk around and record both vehicles as well to show their current conditions. Film the area around you, and what directions you both (or more for multi-vehicle accidents) came from. Most importantly you need to narrate the whole entire thing. It's now fresh in your mind because it all just happened. Documenting everything including what you just went through can help a whole lot. Also it's important to keep you safe too. Just as recording the person can discredit any unfound claims of injury, recording the condition of the cars can do the same to prevent a shady body shop from racking up bills on repairs that are not related to the accident, nor especially don't even exist at all. Record skid marks, broken glass, impact damage, injuries, you name it.

Give the pen and paper to the other driver to keep them busy.

Tell them to write down all of their contact info. Driver's License number, phone number, email address, twitter handle, whatever. Phone numbers disconnect, but face it: people keep email addresses more often and you can still track them down on Facebook or elsewhere. More importantly, this keeps them busy while you're continuing on with your documentation of the scene and gathering of evidence. This also keeps them from collaborating too much with others to try and build a story against you. And as time fades and the adrenaline comes down, so do their recollections as well as tensions. Plus if they change their mind and decide NOT to give you a particular phone number, they can't erase it. You'll still have the imprint on the paper below.

Find any witnesses and interview them!

Very important as well. And since you kept the other driver and their passengers busy with that pen and paper before, they're less likely to interrupt your interview, and potentially taint the witness. And if you do have someone who is a witness that you interview, don't forget to also ask them for their same contact information. If you can write it down, great. If not, recording them on video is probably good enough.

Take photographs of the other driver's information!

Driver's License, Registration, License Plates, Registration Stickers, VIN number, get them all! Get both the front as well as the back. Video tape as well as take still photos. Sure you just had the other person write everything down, but you still want, nay, NEED to see it for yourself. Double check everything! Now while you may not need to see the IDs of any other passengers, it's a good idea to ask them for their contact information too, and to record it on film.

So where do we go from here?

Well now, by this time someone has called the police and they've probably show up. Unless of course you live in Las Vegas, NV. In that case if there are no injuries, the police are never going to show up. Which of course is why this whole thing is more important than ever if you happen to live there. But hey, they probably will show up because someone has already called them. Whenever I call in to report an accident, I almost always get a dispatcher who tells me that they're aware and help is already on it's way. But when the police do arrive, they'll question you, and then at this time if you've got any further paperwork to fill out, or your information that you need to exchange, this is the chance. You can even offer up to the officer any video evidence you now have on your phone if they request it. If you have one of those fancy, new-fangled Apps on your phone that allows you to report accidents, you can use it. Or you can upload the videos to YouTube and email the links along with your photos to your insurance agent. They will be grateful for all of the work you've already done for them, and your claim gets processed even quicker.

But wait! What if *I'm* the one at fault!

Are you really? You sure about that?

Seriously though, no worries! Still you'll want to complete all of the aforementioned steps and recommendations I have here. That way you can lessen the damage against you, and suppress any additional false claims. Maybe you can even turn that frown upside down and lessen or remove liability. That's up to the lawyers to decide.

Remember, they're called "Accidents" for a reason, and not "On Purposes".

jkm7680 > DMCVegas 07/17/2014 at 12:27

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Dashcam also, you've got to get one of those things also. Here in NOVA the Police won't arrive unless somebody is hurt. If everybody is fine, no Police will show up.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > DMCVegas 07/17/2014 at 12:28

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It's also worth reminding that, in case you do have an On Purpose instead of an accident, the right thing to do is be douchey, check your car for damage, and drive off.

Flipping your victim off is completely optional, but recommended. The more you seem to care, the more On Purpose it will be.

E92M3 > DMCVegas 07/17/2014 at 13:40

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You forgot the most important step: if it's a minor accident move your car out of the roadway. Theres no sense holding up 50,000 others by blocking lanes because you bumped into someone at 5 mph while texting.

Mattbob > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 07/17/2014 at 13:42

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Irony ambulance. It's right there, but just drives off! Also what kind of BMW was that? We need ot get it here in the US.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Mattbob 07/17/2014 at 13:44

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It's some sort of 1-series... Probably a 116i. These are sold in the US, I believe, but not in hatchback form.

Mattbob > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 07/17/2014 at 13:45

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yeah, I've never seen a hatchback like that in the US. Maybe they are concerned it would lower their snooty image.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Mattbob 07/17/2014 at 13:48

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Maybe, but judging by Audi's move with the latest A3, I guess hatchbacks just don't sell very well over there, no idea why...

Mattbob > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 07/17/2014 at 13:53

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This is oppo, when have we cared about reality?

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > DMCVegas 07/17/2014 at 14:18

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Also remember that you need to get to the Hospital as soon as possible after the accident. It doesn't matter if you feel ok and want to just go about your day. It is vital that you get checked out by a Dr. at the hospital immediately or as soon as you are capable. Speaking from experience it will help you in the coming days, especially if there are any sort of legal proceedings afterwards. I really can't stress this enough!

zeontestpilot > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 07/17/2014 at 14:40

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Is it wrong that I want the BMW driver to loose his knee caps?

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > zeontestpilot 07/17/2014 at 17:27

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Not at all... But I'm left to wonder if he's not the guy who does the knee cap removal thing. Because Mafia. I'm a racist fuck apparently.

zeontestpilot > BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion 07/17/2014 at 20:51

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Then knee caps and thumbs.

Sorry, I have little compassion for people who pull crap like this. They think they are above everyone and treat they poorly...someone needs to take them down a few pegs....

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > zeontestpilot 07/17/2014 at 20:57

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Very true...