Your first minutes and hours can shape what’s provable later. After you’re safe and receive medical care, prioritize the following:
- Get the crash recorded while details are fresh. Write down the time, the direction you were traveling, weather/visibility, and any partial plate information.
- Photograph what you can from a safe location. Damage to your vehicle, visible injuries, traffic controls, and the surrounding area can help later.
- Identify likely nearby cameras. In New Berlin, footage may exist from businesses along commuter corridors, apartment/condo entrances, and nearby parking areas. The key is that video is often overwritten quickly.
- Request a police report if one hasn’t been made. A report number and the responding officer’s observations become foundational for insurers and for any later claim.
- Tell your doctor the full story. Medical records should reflect how the crash happened and how symptoms began—especially if pain appears or worsens over days.
If you’re tempted to “wait and see” while you gather fragments of information, don’t. In hit-and-run cases, missing details can create avoidable gaps that defense counsel uses to challenge causation.


