Map of the United States With Illinois HighlightedWhether you are vacationing in Illinois or visiting for business, the last thing you expect is to get hurt in a car accident. If a crash does occur then it is natural to panic. As an out of state driver in Illinois, what will you do? Your family, your doctors, and even your insurance adjuster are back home.

You Need Help—And You Need to Know How to Get It

The steps that you take immediately after the crash will likely be the same as if you were hurt in an accident in your home state; however, your next steps may be a little different. Specifically, you should:

  1. Call 911. Do not worry about finding the local number for the police. 911 works in Illinois and will dispatch the police and medical first responders when you report the accident.
     
  2. Accept medical attention. It can be scary to go to a hospital where you don’t know any of the doctors. However, you may need emergency medical attention that can’t wait until you return home. You can call your doctor at home and ask her if she can recommend any doctors in the area near your crash and ask her to speak with the doctors who are treating you.
     
  3. Make sure you know the street location and city or town where the accident occurred. This will be necessary later and may be overlooked in a chaotic accident scene.
     
  4. Watch what you say at the scene of the accident. Do not admit fault. Instead, share your license, registration, and insurance information with the police and other parties.
     
  5. Gather evidence at the accident scene. This includes names and contact information for any witnesses and photographs, if possible.
     
  6. Call your insurance company. An 800 number should be on your insurance card or readily available on the Internet.
     
  7. Call a lawyer. Contact an experienced Illinois car accident lawyer who can help you understand and protect your legal rights and recovery.

If you are traveling in Illinois then please bookmark this page on your phone or print it out for easy reference and keep it with you. That way you won’t have to panic if you are hurt while traveling in Illinois; instead, and you can use this as a step-by-step reference guide.

Jason F. Abraham
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Helping car accident and personal injury victims throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa since 1993.