Being involved in a car crash is one of the most traumatic situations you can ever find yourself in. Whether you’re hurt or not, it may leave traumatic scars that may take years to erase. It even gets worse if you, a passenger, or a pedestrian is hurt in the process. It’s an ordeal that is usually accompanied by a lot of pain and frustration and this can impair your judgment as well as your decision-making process.
However, if you’ve been involved in an accident and you’re self-aware of your surroundings, making informed decisions right after the accident will make a massive difference in determining the value of your claim. With that out of the way, below are steps to take when involved in a car accident.
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1. Seeking Immediate Medical Assistance
After you’ve been involved in a car accident, your first priority should be about your own health and safety as well as that of the other passengers or pedestrians. But you can only do so much if you’re critically injured or are unable to move. One thing to note is that car accident injury may differ depending on the nature of the accident.
If it’s a minor fender bender, you may experience minor to severe injuries depending on the impact. In line with the views of the expert attorneys at https://www.trollingerlaw.com/car-accident-lawyer/, having your injuries detected early after an accident by medical professionals will be key to improving your health condition.
In addition to this, it will help identify the accident as the leading cause of your injuries. The reason to seek treatment as soon as possible after an accident, well, apart from the obvious health reasons, is also ensure that the other motorist doesn’t take advantage of your hesitation to claim that your injuries were unrelated to the accident.
2. Do Not Leave The Scene Of The Accident
By now, you’ve probably heard of hit and run cases and what the repercussions are. You, therefore, don’t want to be involved in an accident, by fleeing the scene of the accident, and become a statistic.
By all means, whether it was your fault or that of the other driver, only leave the scene of the accident when it’s appropriate to do so. The only exception to this is if your life is endangered by either the reaction of the mob towards you or it’s just not safe for you to be there.
However, it’s essential that you can prove this to the authorities. This is why a smartphone comes in handy in such situations. In addition to this, there might be witnesses around who’d be willing to testify in your defense. Leaving a scene of the accident can lead to serious criminal charges, especially if the accident caused severe injuries or death.
3. Call The Police Or Any Emergency Number In Your State
It’s very tempting to want to settle cases conventionally without the presence of the police, especially when there are no visible damages or injuries. But you don’t know the intentions of the other driver or pedestrians for that matter.
A police accident report will help safeguard your integrity as well as the interests of the other parties involved. The police report will also come in handy when filing a personal injury case and will be beneficial when settling the accident claim.
4. Obtain Information From The Other Motorist/Parties
Now, this is only if, and only if you’re able to do this. If you can’t, rest easy and wait for the police or the response team to arrive. They’ll help to take care of the rest. But if you can, then exchanging information with the other driver, motorist, passengers, pedestrians, or witnesses will be key towards settling your claim. But in the process, do not appear to be apologetic or admitting fault. Showing concern and admitting fault are two different things. Among the details you’ll need to record include:
- Driver names, identification numbers, and addresses
- Plate and registration details
- Witness names and their addresses
- Witness account information
- Location
- Date
Dealing with insurance adjusters is no easy thing. They’ll want to be provided with the facts and not vague details. The above information will help to ascertain that indeed your injuries and damages were a result of an accident.
5. Call Your Attorney
Sometimes it might seem like calling your insurance company is the best thing to do seconds or minutes after you’ve been involved in an accident. But believe it or not, calling your personal injury attorney will be the most important thing to do, especially considering that you’ll still be delirious, confused, and in pain.
This is not the time for you to be answering tough questions from your insurance company. Your attorney will be best placed to handle them. However, if you are able and are composed enough to talk, calling your insurance company will also work.
Before you take care of the happenings in your surroundings after an accident, the most important thing is to ensure that you are safe, your passengers are not at any risk, and that you’re not endangering the lives of other motorists in the process. The above steps will go a long way in not only helping you handle the events after an accident but also in securing your personal injury claim.
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