Should I call the police or an ambulance?

To the extent you are able and can safely do so, you should check on the other driver to see if medical attention is required. Immediately call 911. If no one immediately complains of injuries, that doesn't mean no one has been injured since many types of injuries do not surface until hours or even days later. The next step is to notify the local police department who will advise you if they need to be present at the scene.

If police do report to the scene, you should write down the name of the investigating officer, the officer's phone number, and the police report number, so you can obtain a copy when it is filed. Regardless of whether the police visit the scene, you should exchange your name, address and phone number with all persons involved. Jot down the make, model and year of all vehicles involved. Also obtain license plate numbers, the names of all insurance companies and insurance policy numbers from each driver. If you have a camera, take pictures of the accident location and vehicle damage.

Remain calm and cooperate with the police. Although you should be polite to all involved, no one has the right to question you other than the police. Do not admit fault for the accident to the police - just give the facts of how the accident happened. You do not know all the facts about the cause of the accident, and only qualified accident reconstruction experts are qualified to determine the cause of a collision. Contact your insurance company and report the accident, but be wary in discussing your claim - the insurance adjuster is trained to spot ways to deny your insurance claim.

Obtaining a copy of the police report is one of the most important things you should do after being involved in a motor vehicle accident. If there is erroneous information on the report, you should contact the issuing officer and ask for a correction. Some will make revisions, and some won't, but at least you have made a report indicating that you felt the police report was in error.