Car accidents can be upsetting. They can be even more upsetting when they happen in rental cars. It’s bad enough to damage your own property – it can be worse to damage someone else’s property.

If you find yourself in a rental car accident, consider calling a personal injury lawyer to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.

The following are steps you should take after a rental car accident:

1. Make Sure You Are Safe

Ensure that you as well as everyone else inside of your vehicle is safe and OK prior to doing anything else. Check around you. Check other vehicles involved.

Move your vehicle to the side of the road if you can so it’s out of traffic.

Call 911 if anyone has been injured. If you see a doctor after your accident, there is a good chance that your medical costs will be reimbursed as damages in your case.

2. Call 911

You’re obligated to do this if any injuries or deaths occurred or if over $1,000 in property damage occurred. It’s also important so you can get any injuries documented by a medical professional and so you can get a copy of the police report.

3. Document Your Accident

Write notes which include how the accident happened. Take pictures – a lot of them. Take pictures from multiple angles of things like property damage injuries, traffic signals and signs, weather, roadway conditions, etc.

The more you document your accident, the more evidence you’ll have to ensure you maximize your car accident settlement.

4. Exchange Contact Information

Exchange names, addresses, insurance information, driver’s license numbers, vehicle registration numbers, license plate numbers, phone numbers and email addresses with any other driver involved.

Get contact information of witnesses as well.

5. Contact the Rental Car Company

Do this as soon as possible. Tell them about your accident. Rental cars usually have emergency numbers listed on the agreement or on stickers in the glove box.

Ask them how to proceed. They will explain things like rental car insurance. They’ll typically have you complete an incident report.

6. Call An Injury Lawyer if You’ve Been Injured

If you have suffered serious injuries in your rental car accident, you are going to want to call an car accident lawyer near you.

The at-fault party’s insurance company won’t be willing to pay you what you’re entitled to for your injuries unless they know you can sue them and win over a low ball offer. You’ll see nothing but low ball offers if you don’t have a lawyer, so you could end up with a mountain of medical debt if you don’t call an injury lawyer after being injured in a rental car accident.

Studies have found that people who are injured recover more money for their injuries if they hire a lawyer than if they don’t, even after attorney fees are taken into account.

Most injury lawyers work on a contingency fee, so you won’t need to pay them unless they win your case.