Not that we are waiting or hoping for it to happen because nobody wants to be involved in anything like it, but car accidents do happen, whether we like it or not. In San Diego, for example, it is not uncommon for traffic accidents to happen, in fact, the number of vehicular accidents continue to rise every year. Hence, it is important for you to know what to do when you are involved in one.
If you make the right actions and steps after an accident happens, you can prevent from making the bad situation from becoming worse and still be able to make things happen, like save a life or make sure that insurance claims will be paid.
Here is a list of steps to do when you are caught in a car accident.
Stop the Car
Right after the impact, bring the vehicle to a stop if it is still running. Not stopping is an offense; this is called a hit-and-run. Click here to understand when situations are considered as a case of hit-and-run.
Switch the Engine Off
Turn off the care engine and protect the scene by turning on the hazard lights or set up flares when it is nighttime. It is best that you always bring a flashlight with you as this may come handy in times like this.
Check for Injuries
Check yourself for any injuries and if you have people with you in the car, you check on them also. Call an ambulance, if there is a need for it. Injuries of a vehicular accident may sometimes not be visible or felt right after the impact, sometimes pain sets in after a while. So, it is best that you seek medical attention if you are not sure if you have injuries or not, especially, when you got dazed or lost consciousness in the accident.
Call the Police
You may need a police report for insurance claims. The reasons why you need to call the police when involved in a vehicular accident is most often related to claims, as discussed in websites like this: Car Insurance Guide.
Give accurate statements
Do not just make speculations about what happened. If you do not know or not certain of an information or detail related to the incident, you tell the police that you are not certain, or you do not know. Also make sure that the others involved give an accurate detail of what happened.
Give Your Details
Share your details to the others who are involved, if there are any. Give your complete name, address, contact information to the driver or drivers and/or passenger(s) that are involved in the crash, as well as you take the same details from them. Call the authorities immediately if somebody involved in the crash goes away without giving you their details.
Gather Details
Get details from the other driver or drivers, from passengers, from witnesses. Avoid apologizing or taking the blame for the accident as this can be used against you later on, if cases are filed in a court.
The following must be gathered:
- Plate numbers
- Registration numbers
- Color of the vehicle
- Make and model of the vehicle
- Sketches of the vehicles’ positions
- Note the weather conditions when the accident happened or anything that is unusual, like lighting or road quality.
- List down the damages to the vehicles and if possible, a detailed description of the damages; also, of injuries the passengers, pedestrians, individuals involved sustained from the accident.
Take Pictures
Take pictures if you can. If there are visible damages to your vehicle or yourself or passengers, taking photos may be of valuable help later on. A dash cam can be very helpful in times like this so you will not fall into crash scams. So, if you are getting a dash cam, make sure that you are getting the good kind to provide you quality footage. Otherwise, it will only show a blur of things and it will not be so much of help to you.
Contact Your Insurer
Contact your insurance agent. Make sure that you inform your agents as soon as you can, within the allotted time period, otherwise claims may no longer be valid.
Keep Documents
Keep a file of the accident-related documents – names of the individuals involved, their addresses and contact numbers, receipts of care rentals for example or other expenses.
Ensure Protection of Your Rights
Make sure that your rights are protected. One of the most important things to do after an accident is to consult your lawyer. Get a car accident lawyer if you do not have one yet. Your lawyer can ensure that your rights are protected.
Most often insurance agencies will talk to you about the accident after several days have passed, so it is important that evidences have not been destroyed and that you have consulted your lawyer before the insurance agents talk to you. Therefore, you will already be have given the advice on how to ensure that you are fully compensated, that you have the best medical attention, and the like.
