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Maybe you suffered serious injuries in a car accident in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The shock and the stress can easily lead victims to omit certain important steps after the crash. Below is a summary of what victims ideally should be able to do immediately following the incident.

Checking for injuries and calling the police

Both parties in a crash should first of all check for any injuries and then call for an ambulance when there are. Even when there are not, they should call 911 to have police come over. Sometimes, victims may be uncooperative. Besides that, a police officer can be of help by writing a report that the parties can afterwards file with their own insurance company.

Next, the two parties should move the vehicles out of the way of traffic. The vehicles should ideally be surrounded by flares or reflective triangles.

What information to exchange

Both sides in a car accident should refrain from admitting fault. Interactions should be as limited as possible. The two sides will need to exchange information, though, in particular their name and insurance information. Having a telephone number is good, too.

Victims should photograph the damage and injuries and write down how the accident happened while everything is still fresh in their mind. If anyone witnessed the accident, they should take that person’s contact information down as well. When police arrive, they would do well to write down the officer’s name and number as well as the number of the report.

Knowing what insurance will cover

Pennsylvania being a no-fault state, crash victims cannot file against the other driver’s insurance company unless their injuries reach a certain threshold. Most of the time, they will have their medical expenses covered by personal injury protection.

A lawyer to personally represent you

If you believe you can pursue a personal injury claim, you may want legal representation since the other side can fight against it aggressively. A lawyer may help you achieve a fair out-of-court settlement covering not only your monetary losses but also non-economic ones like pain and suffering.