First, ensure everyone’s safety and call 911 if there are injuries. Contact the police to file an official report. Exchange names, insurance, and contact information with the other driver, but do not discuss fault. Take extensive photos of the scene, vehicle damage, and any visible injuries. Get contact details from any witnesses. Seek medical attention promptly, even for minor pains, as some injuries appear later. Finally, notify your own insurance company about the accident but avoid giving a detailed recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer without advice.

Medical bills serve as a primary measure of the economic damages in your claim. They provide a tangible dollar amount for the cost of your care, which forms the foundation for calculating a settlement. Higher, justified bills typically increase the potential value of your claim. However, the final value also includes non-economic damages like pain and suffering, which are often calculated as a multiple of your total medical costs, making accurate and complete billing critical.

Common cases involve slip and falls on wet floors or uneven surfaces in stores, injuries from poor maintenance like broken handrails or stairs, swimming pool drownings or diving accidents due to lack of fencing or supervision, dog bites on the owner’s property, and injuries from falling objects in stores. Inadequate security leading to assaults in apartment complexes or parking lots is also a major category, as are injuries from snow and ice that was not cleared.