North Charleston Accident Attorney

Here To Help

• Call 9-1-1. This may seem obvious, but accidents can be a very jarring and confusing event. Your mind is usually in an immediate state of shock and takes you into a "flight or fight" state. It’s imperative that you remain calm enough to call 9-1-1 and get police and medical on the scene as soon as possible. Don’t get out of your car and don’t try to move your car out of the road without getting professional assistance from emergency personnel. 
   
• After help arrives, and if you’re safe, attempt to take photos of the crash from as many angles as you can. Include as many details as you can. There are never too many photos. If you can get video, take video as well. Don’t forget to capture images of any skid marks on the road. Some people carry disposable cameras in their cars, just in case. However, if they’re kept in your glove compartment, they’re subject to high and low temperature changes and might be reliable when you need them. It’s still a good idea to have a backup in case your phone isn’t functional after a crash. It may be beneficial to change out the camera every 6 months, but doing so doesn’t guarantee that it will be reliable.
  Be sure once you get home to upload those images and/or videos onto your computer. If you have Google, try to get them onto your Google Drive (drive.google.com). Even email them to yourself if you can. Dropbox is another option. 
   
• If anyone has stopped to help, or they were just a witness, try to get their contact information, including their name, address and phone number. Most people will be willing to give their information, but if they aren’t, allow the police on the scene to gather that information. Not everyone is open to giving out personal information. 
   
• Get the information of others involved in the accident, if they aren’t injured. If they are injured, wait for emergency services and let them handle things. If they can speak, use your best judgement, but ask them for their insurance information. Keep in mind, this was an accident so other people involved are likely as shaken up as you are. You may be seeing them at the worst moment of their life. Being hostile will not get you what you need. If they’re not willing to give you the information, again, allow the police officers to gather it and Frank Hartman will get it from the police officers on your behalf. Don’t say anything, or ask for anything more than their insurance information. Never admit fault, say you are sorry, or anything of the sort. Our instinct as humans is to apologize, even when we are not at fault. Although you may feel "sorry", never say it. It can be used against you. 
   
• It’s good to write yourself an email or a note with everything you can think of at the time of the accident, including the time of day, street names, details of the accident, what you saw, and what you felt. Every detail, even if it may seem insignificant to you, may be vital to your case.
   
• Never agree to anything on the site of the crash or to any insurance company. Speak to Frank first. This includes your own insurance company! Insurance companies record all calls for a reason. They deal with accidents every day, while accident victims don’t. It’s their objective to pay as little as possible. Don’t make the mistake of assuming otherwise! Frank can go head-to-head with insurance companies, because he too deals with accidents every day. He knows what to say and how to say it to make sure that you get exactly what you deserve.