A successful injury claim starts at the scene. Here are the steps you need to take after an Iowa car accident to protect your interests.

There are close to 50,000 vehicle crashes on Iowa roads in a typical year, resulting in more than 18,000 injuries and more than 300 fatalities.

Here’s what you can do after an Iowa car accident to ensure your safety and help build a strong claim for injury compensation.

1. Remain At the Accident Scene

Iowa drivers are required by law to stop at the scene of a crash when anyone has been killed or injured. If your car can be moved, try not to obstruct traffic more than necessary. If the accident only involves property damage, you’re still required to stop at the scene and make sure there are no injuries.

Duty to Exchange Information

If you were driving, you must provide your name, address, and the registration number of the vehicle you were operating to police and the other driver. You must also display your driver’s license upon request.

Hitting Parked and Unattended Vehicles

When you hit an unattended vehicle, stop at the scene. Locate the driver or owner of the vehicle you hit and share your name and address. If you don’t own the car you’re driving, you’ll also have to provide the owner’s name and address.

If you can’t find the other car’s driver, leave a note on the vehicle with your name and address, the name and address of the owner of the car you were driving (if the car isn’t yours), and an explanation of what happened.

2. Help and Report: Call 911

Anytime an accident in Iowa involves death or injury, drivers must contact the local police immediately, by the fastest method available. Calling 911 meets your legal obligation to report a motor vehicle crash resulting in death or injuries.

Duty to Render Aid to the Injured

Drivers are obligated to render aid to the injured, including arranging for the injured person to be transported to a medical facility. In most cases, you meet that obligation by calling 911 to report the crash. Until help arrives, your must offer “reasonable assistance” to the extent you are able.

Driver’s Reporting Obligation

Unless the police are already investigating the accident, drivers are required to notify the Iowa Department of Transpiration (DOT) of any accident occurring within the state causing death, personal injury, or total property damage of $1,500 or more.

The report can be made by submitting an Iowa Accident Report form to the DOT within 72 hours of the accident. The form must be filled out completely. Drivers who fail to promptly report an accident can lose their driving privileges.

3. Seek Prompt Medical Treatment

Never refuse medical attention at the scene of a traffic accident. The shock and adrenaline rush after a collision is normal – and can easily mask symptoms of serious injuries. Refusing or delaying medical care after an accident gives the at-fault driver’s insurance company a good reason to fight your claim.

Let paramedics evaluate you after a crash. Report all your injuries and symptoms, including headache, nausea, or dizziness. If you aren’t transported to the hospital emergency room from the scene, have someone take you to your family doctor or urgent care the same day.

Tell your medical provider how and when you were injured. Be sure to disclose every ache, pain, bump and scrape. You are entitled to seek insurance compensation for all your injuries, not just the most painful or urgent injury.

For full compensation, all your injuries must be linked to the accident. Having each injury listed in your medical records is compelling evidence that your injuries were directly caused by the accident.

4. Start Collecting Evidence

In Iowa and other “tort” states, the at-fault driver’s insurance company won’t pay your claim without proof their insured was to blame. The burden is on you to prove the other driver did something wrong and caused the accident.

• If you can safely move around without risking further injury, take photographs and video of the accident scene. Take pictures from different angles, including close-ups of the damage to each vehicle, debris in the road, and a long shot or video of the scene. You can’t take too many pictures.
• Get the names and contact information of any witnesses to the accident and its aftermath.
• The police crash report will help prove the other driver’s fault, especially if they were ticketed for a traffic violation.
• As you recover, you’ll collect copies of your medical records and receipts for out-of-pocket medical expenses.
• It’s also helpful to keep an injury diary, where you will make detailed notes about your pain levels and other ways the crash has impacted your activities of daily living.

Requesting the Crash Report

A copy of the police officer’s accident report is available for a small fee. Police reports may only be given to persons involved in the accident, their attorney, insurance companies or insurance agents.

Copies of a driver’s accident report can also be requested. To obtain a copy of an accident report you submitted within the last 10 years, send a written request with the date of the accident, and your name and driver’s license number.

Mail your request to:

Iowa Department of Transportation
Office of Driver Services
P.O. Box 9204
Des Moines, Iowa 50306-9204

5. Notify Your Auto Insurance Company

Every personal auto insurance policy has a provision that requires the policyholder to notify the company after an accident. You are contractually obligated to notify your insurance carrier, even if the accident wasn’t your fault or the other driver uses the same insurance company.

If you purchased optional MedPay or Collision coverage, you may use those coverages until your claim settles with the other driver’s insurance. Similarly, you might need to file a claim under your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, if available.

Your insurance company has obligations, too. They have a duty to defend you if someone involved in the accident decides to sue you for injuries. However, you may lose that protection if you violate your policy’s notification clause.

6. Notify the At-Fault Driver’s Insurance Company

Notify the at-fault driver’s insurance company of your intent to file an injury claim as soon as possible after the crash. You do not have to wait until you’re fully recovered to give notice.

The insurance company will typically respond with a Reservation of Rights letter that essentially says that while they are investigating your claim, they make no promise to pay for your damages. You’ll be given a claim number, and your claim may be assigned to an insurance adjuster.

Be careful if the adjuster asks you to give a recorded statement. You don’t have to give a verbal recorded statement without your attorney present. Adjusters are trained to get you to say things that can hurt your claim.

If you hire an attorney, you won’t have to deal with the insurance company. The adjuster has to communicate with your attorney, and will no longer be allowed to contact you directly.

Iowa Minimum Auto Insurance Limits

Iowa requires drivers to carry an auto insurance policy with a minimum bodily injury coverage of $20,000 per person and $40,000 for two or more people per accident. Many drivers carry higher limits.

7. Consult a Car Accident Attorney

If you have recovered from minor injuries after a fender-bender, you may decide to handle your own claim. You can probably get the adjuster to pay your medical bills and a little bit more for your inconvenience.

Serious injuries and complicated accident claims should always be handled by an experienced personal injury attorney. This ensures the best outcome for victims and their loved ones.

Complicated injury claims include:

• Wrongful death
• Allegations of shared fault
• Multi-vehicle accidents
• Injuries to a minor child

Most injury law firms offer a free consultation to car accident victims. If you decide to hire a lawyer, they typically work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they only get paid if they settle your claim or win your case in court.