ACCIDENT CHECKLIST
- Check for injuries to you, passengers, and the other party.
- Call 911 to ensure that medical professionals come to the scene to assess and treat injuries. Further, it is important for law enforcement to be dispatched to clear the scene and properly record all relevant information concerning the auto accident.
- Obtain the name, address, phone number and insurance information for the other party—as well as all the information of all witnesses of the accident.
- Take photos of both your car and the other party’s automobile. It is essential that you can illustrate the extent of damage that each automobile sustained. Take photos of your injuries if bruising, abrasions or anything else is visible as a result of the auto accident.
- Report the accident to your insurance carrier.
- Get checked out by a physician immediately.
LONG FORM ACCIDENT REPORT
If you are involved in a car accident always request long form accident report (LFAR). A LFAR takes more time for the police officer to complete, but obtains more specifics about the collision. This is to be used if there are unrecognized injuries from the accident (you don’t always feel your injuries immediately after the accident; delayed soft tissue swelling and adrenaline rush account for a lot of that!). If this is not done, you may be surrendering your Personal Injury Protection benefits (PIP). Your premiums cover Personal Injury Protection!
Next, your insurance company has the right to setup a recorded interview with you, Examination Under Oath (EUO), via phone or in person, to investigate and try to eliminate staged accidents. This is mandatory; refusing it can cost you your benefits.
If you do not seek any medical treatment within 14 days after an accident, even if you have a LFAR filled out, you lose ALL your PIP benefits.
Yes, you read that correctly. So it will be very important to see a doctor you trust who can properly document all your injuries accurately and be able to answer the questions that will arise. If you have not seen a physician within 14 days from the date of your accident, your health
insurance company becomes primary payer for your injuries related to your accident.
Also, if not diagnosed with an Emergency Medical Condition (EMC) you will have only $2,500 of PIP benefits to treat your injuries, not the $10,000 that you pay premiums for. It will be very important to document any and all injuries that were the result of you accident.
SUMMARY
Call 911 and Document Accident Well
Request Long Form Accident Report LFAR
Report Accident to Insurance Carrier
Seek Treatment within 14 Days
