First thing to do is a self-assessment to how you’re doing. Make sure there’s no bones protruding through the skin, you’re bleeding, you’re conscious. If you’re feeling okay, don’t be in a hurry to get out of your car. Again, make sure that you’re doing okay. After that, make sure everybody in the car is okay. Worry about the medical aspect first. Next thing is, if you’re still in lane of travel, if possible, get your car off the road. That eliminates the risk of another or subsequent collision. Don’t get out of your car and stand behind your car while there’s ongoing traffic around you. You’re ne put yourself in a further position of peril.

Once you’ve been able to get off the road, if you can, you have a duty, a legal duty, to exchange your insurance information with the other motor vehicle. If a police officer shows up, typically what they do is they’ll take control of the scene, they’ll separate the drivers, and they’ll go and gather that information. You may not get it at the scene; it’ll be in the police report, so there’s no reason to panic. You have your smartphone, take photographs of your vehicle and the other vehicles, not only close-ups but back up to get some perspective of the entire scene. After that, it’s all about focusing on medical uh attention. So if you really are hurt and you don’t feel well, tell someone that. Go in the ambulance, if possible. If you’ve got your dog with you or if you got your children, that’s not feasible, then get home, regroup, and get to an urgent care or an emergency room.