You might be more aware by driving an electric or self-driving car, but that doesn’t put you above the law. What to do if you get in an accident!
Whether it is a small fender bender of a back road or a head-on interstate collision, a car accident can leave you feeling a bit scattered, nervous, and scared. Heck, you might not even be able to collect your thoughts after the event. This is especially true if you are injured. Regardless of the situation, not acting in the right manner or taking the right precautions could come back to haunt you later on down the road. When you combine this with the fact that accidents are totally random, you can be looking at a truly ugly situation. This is why it is always best to brush up on your post-accident procedures. Don’t wait for the situation to happen before you take action. Be prepared and ready to take action before the situation happens because it will pay off big time.
Composing Yourself
When you are involved in an accident it can be really hard to compose yourself. Most people don’t really know how they are going to react in a situation until they are put in. And, this is the case with car wrecks most of the time. Whatever the situation is, you want to make sure that you take the time to properly assess the entirety of the situation before making it worse. After the accident, take a minute to catch your breath, soak in what just happened, put your car in park, make sure it isn’t running anymore, and compose yourself before getting out to deal with the situation head-on.
Moving To A Safe Area
You will probably hear time and time again to never move the vehicles when you are in an accident. Unfortunately, this isn’t true at all. You always want to make sure you get the vehicles off the road, so as not to cause any damage to the other passing vehicles. Depending on the severity of the accident, you might not even be able to move the vehicles. If this is the case then you want to at least flash on the warning lights to alert drivers of the dangers that lurk ahead. Any good car accident law firm will tell you that this will help prevent further claims.
Check On Others Involved
Once everything is safely out of the way, you will want to make sure you check on the other passengers or individuals involved in the accident. It doesn’t even hurt to check on any nearby pedestrians if you are able. Making sure that no one needs emergency medical attention could be key to saving a life.
Call The Police
Whether you are dealing with an attorney or an insurance claim agent, a police report will be integral. Once everything is cleared off the road and people are out of harm’s way, you will want to contact the police to conduct this report. Just make sure that you do not go as far to admit fault or blame others because this can later be used against you. Always cooperate to the fullest, while trying to avoid admitting anything until you speak with your attorney.
