Being in a car accident can be very jarring, painful, and traumatic. In the flurry of the moments following the accident it’s very easy to forget some crucial steps that need to be taken. Here is a list of what you should do.
Preparation for Car Accident
You should prep your car with cones, warning triangles, or emergency flares. These can be used to help alert traffic after an accident has occurred.
Make sure you have a pen and card that has any pertinent medical information pertaining to you and your family. This would include if anyone in the family has any special medical conditions.
Immediately Following a Car Accident
- Try to breathe deeply and remain calm.
- Check yourself out for injuries. Check the other driver for injuries. If in doubt, immediately call an ambulance.
- If you’re able to, and the accident is minor, move cars to a place out of traffic where you will be safe enough to get out of the car without risking being in on-coming traffic.
- Turn on your vehicle’s hazard lights. If you have them, use cones, warning triangles, or flares to alert on-coming traffic.
- Even if the accident is minor you should call the police. They will be able to provide an un-biased opinion on the damage they see. They will also be able to file a police report of any damages. This can be crucial when it comes to insurance claims.
- Immediately notify your insurance agency.
Additional Tips
- Don’t sign any documents unless they are for the police or your insurance agent.
- Take notes about the accident. These notes should include specific damages to all vehicles involved, witness information, location. If you can, take pictures of the damage.
- If the name on the auto registration differs from the driver’s name, jot down the relationship between the two.
- Be polite, but don’t admit the accident was your fault, even if you think it might gave been.
- State only the facts you know. Limit the discussion regarding the accident with the other person involved.
- Don’t leave the scene of the accident before the police and other drivers have left.
You might want to write these steps down, and keep a copy in your car – that way, if you are ever involved in an accident you have a check-list you can mark off to ensure that nothing gets missed in the confusion that results from a car accident.
If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident or a car accident, you need the expert advice of car accident lawyers such as those at Personal Injury Attorneys PLLC.
