Most big cities in USA are quite congested with busy streets, road and highways. The amount of traffic that flows through them makes them highly susceptible to accidents. Auto collisions are a quite frequent in big cities and normally result in huge financial losses to the owner of the automobile apart form the risk of bodily injury or death. There are some procedures to be followed once you are involved in an automobile accident.
Most states in the USA have the same set of rules with minor differences.
1. Immediately upon being involved in an automobile accident, you are required to stop and be where you are. You are not supposed to leave the scene of the accident without the permission of the authorities. The accident may be minor or major, it is required that you find out if it has caused you any bodily injury. You also need to assess the damage to your property (your automobile). If you walk away or drive away from the scene of the accident, you may be prosecuted with criminal offense by the police and they will assume that the fault was yours. 
2. It is important that you inform the nearest police precinct as soon as possible after the automobile accident. For this, you may call up any emergency number and get the phone number. Also, while at it, call an ambulance to take care of the injured persons, if any. If you think you are not in a condition to do the required things mentioned above, request someone else from the witnesses to do the same on your behalf. At this juncture, if you are injured, do not move and do not let anyone else move you since it might cause more injury and may complicate matters. Wait for the competent medical teams to arrive and move you in a proper manner to a healthcare facility. In case you are capable of movement, move forward to the actual site of the accident and set out flares or blinkers to warn oncoming and following traffic so they do not ram into the damaged vehicles and complicate matters.
3. Make sure that you speak to drivers and passengers involved in the same automobile accident and write down their names, addresses and phone numbers along with their license plate numbers for future reference. If possible get the driver license number, name of the insurer, agent’s name and phone number. This information may prove to be crucial at a later stage.
4. Try and get some information about the witnesses to the accident. Get into their visual sights so that they can remember you later as being in the automobile accident. This may be crucial at a later stage if you are pushing for damages in a court of law. Also try to collect the business cards or any other personal information available about the police officers at the accident site. Also note down the incident number as stated by them and try to get a copy of the report.
5. Also, put down on paper the basic notes about the accident as soon as possible. The details should consist of date, time, and place of occurrence, road conditions, weather, speed limits, installed traffic control gadgets, lighting and how the accident really happened. What was your destination and direction and what the automobiles were doing at the time of the automobile accident. This information may prove crucial in the event of litigation.
6. Even though you think that the fault was yours, do not hurry to admit fault. Consult a lawyer and take his advice before giving out any statements regarding the accident. Whatever you may say or do may be used against you in a court of law.
7. If the fault was not yours, it is imperative that you consult lawyer before doing anything else. You can find a good automobile accident lawyer, either through references from your friends and relatives or by searching on the internet. Provide the lawyer with all information you have and act as he advises.
While safe driving has no parallels, automobile accidents do happen at various junctures of our lives since everyone does not think or drive the same. However, damages and finances apart, always help the other party involved in the accident in case anyone is seriously injured. Show you humanitarian side and you have won half the battle of being in an automobile accident.
Another important tip here would be to find the best lawyer available and sue for damages as quickly as possible. Since these cases are time bound, taking the first step in an indirect evidence of you not being responsible for the accident. This is a big advantage and use it drive home your damage assessment claim.