An automobile accident is the most common form of personal injury.  http://www.worldwidewounds.com/2002/october/Bowley/Patterns-Of-Injury-MVAS.html  Most times, if the other party is at fault, they do not want to take responsibility.  You can protect yourself by: 1) calling the police and making a report at the scene; 2) Obtaining photographs of the scene/location; 3) Camera footage, whether from neighboring businesses or the intersection traffic control devise; 4) 911 records; 5) Police Report and photographs taken by officer at scene, which typically takes 10 days to get post accident.   http://www.lapdonline.org/i_want_to_know/content_basic_view/36329  By documenting the incident, it helps better who was at fault for purposes of insurance coverage and the resulting injuries.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/car-crash/