What Should I do after the accident? Personal injury / Car Accident Attorney advice

There are many kinds of accidents. The discussion below assumes you have been in an auto accident. Many of the principals stated below apply equally to other kinds of accidents. If you have been in a personal injury accident / auto accident and done none of the things listed below, don't worry. Few people do all of the things listed below, even Southern / Northern California car accident attorneys.

SO, YOU'VE HAD AN ACCIDENT
You have just had a personal injury accident / automobile accident. Your first reaction is disbelief and confusion. You ask, how did this happen? I was just driving along minding my own business and suddenly you are involved in an accident. You may be angry and you may be injured. If you are angry, maintain self-control or you may forget to obtain valuable information or make statements that will come back to haunt you. If you are injured, get medical treatment as soon as possible. (The other side will use your delay in obtaining medical treatment as evidence you were not hurt as bad as you claim).

MUST I STOP?
Yes. You must stop whether the situation involves a pedestrian accident, moving car, parked car or someone's property. If you leave the scene, you are guilty of "hit and run" - even if the accident is not your fault. Hit and run penalties are severe, resulting in a large fine, jail, loss of license or all of these. If you hit a parked car, find the driver. If you cannot, then you may drive away only after leaving behind your name, address and an explanation of the accident. You must also notify the police authorities. Where death or injury results, an officer arrives at the scene and makes a written report. This report is available to you and others.

WHAT IF SOMEONE IS INJURED?
You must give reasonable assistance to injured persons following the automobile accident. For example, you may need to call an ambulance, take the injured person to a doctor or hospital, or give first aid. Do not move a badly injured person. You might make him worse. If the person is in danger of being hurt worse or killed, move him anyway. For example, if a woman is thrown from her car onto the road, carefully move her to a safer place. Warn other motorists an accident has occurred. Placing flares on the road, turning on your car's hazard lights and lifting the engine hood are good ways to warn oncoming traffic. Get help for any injured persons, and try not to panic.

HOW CAN I GET HELP?
Get to a phone and call the police authority and advise them of the car accident. If it is an emergency, dial 911. If the victim needs an ambulance or fire engine, advise the 911 operator. If you are not near a phone, flag down a passing car and ask the driver to go for help while you remain at the scene.