When you are involved in a car accident, it’s understandable to be overcome with anxiety and emotion. It’s a distressing experience. But it’s also extremely important that you manage to keep your wits and follow a certain number of steps afterward.

Here’s what you should do after being in a car accident:

• Check for injuries. Ensure your own personal safety and the safety of any passengers you have with you. If anyone is seriously hurt, the first thing you should do is dial 911. If you’re unsure whether an injury qualifies as serious, call an ambulance — it is better to be safe than sorry.
• Move your car to a safe place. If it’s a minor accident, move your car off the road or out of traffic to where you will be safe from oncoming cars. Turn on your hazards and use flares, cones or warning triangles if you have them to alert traffic coming your way.
• Call the police. Even if it’s a minor fender bender, you need to file a damage report with the authorities to secure a record of the crash.
• Document everything. Take pictures of all of the damage to both vehicles, and write down a list of the damage as well. Get the contact information of the person in the other vehicle, as well as the contact information of witnesses, if there are any present.
• Notify your insurance agent. Do this immediately, even if you believe the other driver is at fault and you mean to file a claim against that driver.
• Never take responsibility. This could drastically limit your chances at successfully obtaining compensation if a lawsuit arises. Speak only about the bare bones facts of what happened in the accident, and do not discuss responsibility with the other driver or the police.

If you or a loved one were injured or were not at fault in your car accident, be sure to contact a La Plata car accident attorney with Mudd, Mudd & Fitzgerald, P.A. as soon as possible to seek the compensation you need and deserve.