Car accidents are terrifying experiences one can encounter while on the road and this can happen to anyone, irrespective of their age and gender. That’s why the saying about keeping your eyes on the road and driving safely is usually the first lesson taught to a person who’s learning how to drive. Subsequently, not keeping your eyes firmly on the road can cause you to lose track of your car’s direction and drift into another lane.
One of the worst things to experience in a car crash that can leave a lingering impact on a person is the inability to protect yourself and your loved ones in the car with you even if you can see that another vehicle is heading right for you. Aside from that, not knowing what you should do after the crash may worsen the situation, so the need to know about the dos and don’ts in car accidents is crucial.
As traffic deaths continue to increase, one can’t say what may happen while on the road. You can hope that this doesn’t happen to any of your family members. Risk always remains everywhere. For more ideas, you can click for more info about the essential things you should do to protect your safety and health after a collision.
To have a better understanding of the car accident checklist, below are some of the things that you should remember when a car accident happens.
Do’s
The following are the things that you should do after a car accident.
1. Stop Your Car
You must stop your car at the nearby location after the accident occur. If possible, pull your vehicle to the sidewalk to avoid further collisions. This is mainly because as much as you’re required to stop your vehicle after a crash, you’re also required to move your vehicle off the road.
2. Evaluate the Situation
As the primary people involved in the collision, you should evaluate the situation. Assess if there are any injured person in the crash and see what you can do for them. Also, any person involved in the accident should take note of important details, such as time, date, weather, along with the location and any other landmark. If possible, you may also draw a diagram of the location of the accident for more reliable data.
3. Report the Accident
If the accident results in any death, injury, or property damage, you must contact the police immediately and make them aware of the collision. You must stay at the location of the accident until the police authorities arrive to help them with their investigation. The officers will assess the situation and write an official report about the accident after they gather all the information they need.
After that, you must ask if you can review the details, have a copy, and give additional information to the authorities to ensure the accuracy of what they wrote in their police report.
4. Contact A Qualified Attorney
Call your trusted attorney immediately after the car accident. Share as much reliable information with your attorney since following an accident is crucial because they should have a better understanding of what transpired and how the accident happened. Regardless of the details, you need to maintain honesty with your attorney and tell them even the smallest things that you know as this may significantly help them know what to do next.
Telling your attorney all the pertinent facts that you know about the accident will help them to better serve you as your case progresses and the chance of winning the case is higher. Aside from that, you must ask your attorney questions. The case is all about you. The accident damaged your car and got you hurt, so it’s only right to know and understand the process surrounding your case. After all, a good attorney can provide answer for every question that you have and can assure you favorable results.
5. Seek Medication
If you or anyone has been injured, one of the most important things to do is to seek immediate medical attention. What you should prioritize is contacting the nearest hospital to let them know that there has been an accident near their area and people have been injured-if there’s any. Aside from that, if you’re still conscious of your surroundings and aware of your condition, try not to move recklessly to avoid worsening your current state.
This is because one of the common mistakes in a car crash is that people tend to act impulsively while trying to help the victims, which sometimes results in further endangering their condition. As much as possible, you must call for immediate medical assistance to help the victims.
Don’ts
Listed below are the things that you shouldn’t do after the accident.
1. Panic
Panicking won’t do you any good, especially if the accident is already done. The best thing that you can do is to remain calm and assess your situation. You must also contact nearby hospitals and police authorities to respond to the accident. Apart from this, you may also see if anyone needs your help and render aid as much as you can.
2. Forget To Give Information
There’s a higher chance that you’ll be confused and forget what you should do after a car accident. However, it’s important to collect yourself and remain calm to better think of what to do next. You should never forget to exchange or give necessary information, including your insurance company and their policy number.
These insurance companies are responsible for handling accidents like these, and they may be of great help to you to obtain just compensation for the damage caused by the accident. However, if you’ve been liable for the accident, the other party will have the insurance.
3. Leave The Area
Leaving the area means that you’re turning it into a crime scene instead of being a scene of an accident. In particular, the law states that it’s illegal to leave the site of an accident regardless of whether you’re at fault for the collision or not. It’s also stated that any driver involved in a crash resulting in damage shall immediately stop their vehicle at the location of the crash.
4. Accept Blame
As much as possible, wait for your legal counsel’s advice regarding admitting or denying accountability in an accident, and don’t talk much. No matter what you mean or want to explain, anything you say can be used against you. The other party’s lawyer may use your words against you and make you appear liable for the accident.
In some instances, even saying sorry isn’t advised by lawyers even if you utter them out of remorse. Whatever you say may be interpreted as an acceptance or admission of liability. The best thing to do is to let your lawyer do all the talking and deal with the legal processes.
Bottom Line
Car accident is one of the most terrifying occurrences that can happen on the road. Accidents like these can create and leave lingering emotional distress to a person. But what’s even more devastating is if you failed to do what you’re supposed to do after the accident. To help you deal with this situation better, you must stop your vehicle, assess the situation, report the accident to the police, contact your trusted lawyer, and seek medication.
Aside from that, you should also refrain from panicking, you shouldn’t forget to give the necessary information, leave the area, and accept the blame as this may lead to more unfavorable results. Knowing some of this little information may be of great help to you to help recover from the accident. Also, always wait for your legal counsel’s advice about what to do next as they have more knowledge about that.
