What to Do If You Have a Car Accident
Posted by admin at 21 September 2019, at 11 : 33 AM
Hopefully, you will never have to experience or be involved in a car accident, but mistakes are often made on the road, and whether it is your fault or not, car accidents do happen. Therefore, it is important that you are always prepared, and know exactly how to react and what to do if you are caught up in an accident on the road. Being involved in a car accident–whether you’re the injured party or party-at-fault–can affect your life in many ways. The effects of the car accident can get worse to the point where you’ll see yourself covered in debts if you don’t know what to do after the situation happened.
As a driver, it is crucial for you to know the laws and regulations when it comes to car accidents, which is why we have put together this guide on what to do if you have an accident or collision while driving. It is important that you make the right steps both immediately after and following the incident so that you can get the situation sorted without any further problems or complications.
If you don’t have any idea what to do if you’re in a car accident, the points listed below can serve as your car accident checklist:
Stop the Car and Switch off the Engine
Regardless of how serious the car accident was or whether you consider anybody to be hurt, you must stop the car and switch the engine off immediately. Failure to do so and just driving off could result in you finding yourself in a considerable amount of trouble.
Ideally, you should stop the car, switch off its engine, and stay on the safe side of the road. Never drive your car after the accident as this can put your safety at risk and can affect the findings of the insurance company or authorities on who or what caused the accident. You should leave your car as is and wait for authorities to show up so they can create a police report.
Check for Injuries to Yourself or Others
Be sure to check yourself for injuries before you try to move or help anybody else. Even if you think you are unharmed, it is important that you sit still for a few seconds to assess if you are in any pain. Once you have checked yourself, you can then go on to any passengers you may have had in your vehicle, as well as anybody in any other cars that were involved.
Always put yourself first after the accident. Regardless of how tempting it is to help the other party involved, it’s vital that you check your body for any injuries or bruises first. Once you’re confident that you’re unharmed, you can check on the other parties involved and offer help.
Call the Emergency Services if Necessary
If you find that anyone involved has been hurt, then you should contact the emergency services right away. You can easily dial 911 from your smartphone and then wait for responders to arrive and give the injured party first aid care. This is especially important if you believe that the injured party is experiencing severe injuries that you don’t have any idea how to treat or resolve.
You may want to ring the police anyway, even if there aren’t any serious injuries, as you may require a police report to file an insurance claim at a later date.
Swap Details
When and if you are able, you should start to collect the contact details of the other drivers involved in the accident. Even if you hold the other driver accountable, you should avoid being confrontational with them and instead start to collect notes and pictures of any damage if necessary. However, be sure to collect an accurate record of what happened and do not speculate or guess as this could cause you problems with your claim later on.
Seek Professional Advice
If you have been injured in the accident and want to take your claim further then you might need to contact a car accident lawyer who can assist you with your rights and ensure that you are fully compensated for what you have experienced and gone through.
Contrary to popular belief, working with a car accident lawyer is actually a need whenever you’re involved in any kind of car accident. This is because they have the necessary training and experience to make negotiations with the other party’s insurance company and ensure that you’re properly presented in court. In fact, you should hire a car accident lawyer before you give any statement about the accident to the police and insurance companies.
Takeaway Points
Being involved in a car accident can be a daunting and anxiety-provoking experience, but by knowing how to react and what steps to take, you can be prepared for every eventuality you are faced with when driving on the road. Being equipped with this information will make it easy for you to recover from the accident and get back on track again!