Here are some to keep in mind:
1. Get information about the other driver. That includes: name, address, license and insurance company.
2. When the police arrive to the scene, get the officer’s name, badge number and police report number.
3. Seek medical treatment immediately even if you think you are fine because you may later discover. The shock from the accident may be preventing you from noticing the pain in your body.
4. Call your insurance company and report the accident.
5. If you or any passenger has been injured, contact a lawyer who will help you to recover money damages for your pain and suffering and for medical expenses. Up to $50,000 of these benefits are available in New York regardless of who is at fault under New York’s “No-Fault” Insurance Law, provided you file a claim with the insurance carrier within 30 days of the accident. If you were the driver or passenger in a vehicle at the time of the accident, you must file a “No-Fault” insurance claim with the insurance company for that vehicle. If you were a pedestrian struck by a vehicle, you must file the claim with the insurance company for that vehicle.
6. If your injury is such that the pain and suffering and medical expenses exceeds $50,000, you need to start a lawsuit against the driver and the owner of the vehicle that caused your accident to recover the additional amount. Do not sign away any of your rights if you are contacted by the insurance company and offered any amounts of money. Your lawyer will insure that your rights are protected and that you file your claims within the time limits required by law. Typically, in New York you must bring a lawsuit within 3 years but this is not always the case. For example, if the vehicle that hit you is owned or operated by a City, Town, Village or other public agency such as a New York City Sanitation Department truck or NYCTA bus or subway, then you must first file a “Notice of Claim” within 90 days, and then you have only one year and 90 days after the accident to start the lawsuit. These time limits go by very quickly and the Courts strictly enforce them. So don’t delay when it come to protecting your rights.
Contributor: Christopher McGrath Long Island New York Auto Accident Lawyer