No semi-regular event is more shocking for the average person than a car accident. In a more fortunate situation you are looking at a seriously upsetting derailment of your day. And in some cases, an auto accident is unfortunately a life changing event. Today we are going to look at what to do in the event of a milder accident. One that you are likely to encounter at some point of your life, and are able to walk away from.

What most people do not realize about an accident like this, is that there are regularly many issues that can come up later and require the intervention of an attorney. Most importantly are ones that are medical in nature, such as an injury that only manifests days to weeks later. It is actually very common that injuries from car accidents are not acute in nature, and show up as potentially chronic ailments which may require ongoing medical care or rehabilitation.

The first order of business is to compose yourself and take stock of your condition. Do you have any immediate injuries? Before making an attempt to move or exit the vehicle, take note of the fact that you will have a huge amount of adrenaline flowing through you, as well as being in a state of shock. This may make it impossible to actually feel any injuries you may have. So it is important to calm down and assess yourself before making any sudden movements which may aggravate an injury.

Once the shock begins to wear off, your next order of business is to evaluate the immediate danger of your surroundings. There is a seriously elevated risk of further accident and injury if you are on a major highway, for instance. Get yourself as far away from further danger as you possibly can. And if your phone is still operational and available, make sure you take that with you.

Of course, this is now the appropriate time to call 911, and solicit a police response, if no one else has already. It will be necessary to obtain a police report for legal reasons. Both in the event that you need to initiate a lawsuit, and should you have to defend against one. You should also have a medical evaluation within 24 hours of an accident for the same reasons.

You may be inclined to talk to any other drivers involved in the accident, but we would warn you against saying or doing anything that indicates any fault or guilt. We also do not suggest making any comments about the physical state of yourself, or anyone else, to anyone but paramedics.

Even if you say or do everything “right”, it can easily be used out of context by an opposing counsel to make you appear at fault. Resist the urge to talk it out beyond making sure that yourself and any other parties are not in immediate medical danger. Of course, if someone is in need of medical attention, do everything you can to ensure that they receive it. We are all people at the end of the day.

You may want to consider recording everything that happens after your accident on your phone’s sound recorder. It will not be admissible in any sort of legal proceeding in NY unless other parties consent to it, but it would be a good thing to have should you ever have to become involved in a legal proceeding. Your attorney will probably thank you.

What you absolutely must do is photograph everything. The damage to vehicles, the state of the streets around you, and any injury that you may have incurred. The more photographic material you have, the better. You may not have any real idea of why certain images may be important, but your lawyer will. Things that may seem completely insignificant to you could be the exact thing your attorney needs to win your case.

And lastly, as you may imagine, we suggest calling an attorney for a consultation. The worst thing they can tell you is that they don’t see anything actionable. But you have to understand that as a layperson, the true scope of the circumstances may not occur to you. Attorneys who deal with auto accidents regularly have encountered most patterns of events that may occur, and they may as well be psychic when it comes to understanding how your situation will develop.