Car Accident Checklist

Checklist if You Are Involved in a Traffic Accident

If you are involved in an accident while on the job, it’s important that you take immediate steps to protect your health and safety. Here is a quick checklist to keep in your vehicle in case you need it.

Stop your vehicle but be sure that you are not putting yourself or others in danger where you are parked or stopped in the middle of the road. If necessary, get your vehicle out of traffic. Check for any injuries to yourself, any passengers, and the occupants of the other vehicle. Call 911 and request an ambulance if someone was physically injured in the collision.

FHV drivers have specific responsibilities. Contact the local law enforcement agency if the vehicle caused injury, death, or property damage of $1,000 or more. If you fail to do this within ten days of the accident, you can lose your driver’s license. If you hit a parked car, you need to try to locate the owner of the vehicle. If you can’t leave a note with your name and contact information on it.

Ask the officer how to obtain a copy of the accident report once it is filed.

Also, report the accident to Uber, Lyft, or the black car company you were working with at the time of the accident.

Exchange information with the other driver that gives you sufficient information to identify them and file a claim. Gather the following information:

• The driver’s name
• The driver’s address and telephone number
• The name of the driver’s insurance company and the policy number
• Information from the driver’s license, including the license number and the driver’s date of birth
• Identifying information about the other vehicle, including the license plate number, make and model, and the VIN
• Also, if there are any eyewitnesses at the scene of the accident, get the witness’ name and contact information in case you need to share this with your personal injury lawyer or the insurance company later

You can’t expect that the accident scene will remain in place for long. In NY, it could take an officer a while to get to you. If an officer responds to the scene, they will rush to quickly complete an accident report, clean up the area and get traffic moving again. So, it is important FOR YOU to do your best to document the scene of the accident by taking pictures and saving or tagging the video on your dashboard camera (if you have one) so that you can later prove that this accident was not your fault. Take photos of the following:

• The damage to your vehicle
• The damage to the other vehicle
• Your injuries
• A full view of the accident scene
• Any relevant traffic signals or signs
• Any debris on the roadway, including broken vehicle parts skid marks on the ground

If you were injured in the accident or you are experiencing pain or other symptoms of an injury, seek medical treatment immediately. The faster you receive treatment, the better. Keep track of all of your original medical records, which will be helpful for any claims you may later make.