What to Do When You Are in a Car Wreck
Every year, it is estimated that about 6 million car accidents would occur in the United States. This is hence the fact that car accidents are already on a downward trend. Surely, this number is still a lot and it’s just really important to always drive safely.
More and more drivers are just becoming more aware of road safety, but sometimes, accidents are just really hard to avoid. This is why it’s also very important to make sure that you and your vehicle are insured.
If in case such an accident with your vehicle happens, it’s important that you know what to do. Here are some important things to remember if you find yourself in a car wreck.
Check for injuries and damages
After an accident, adrenaline may kick in and so it’s possible to think that you’re completely fine even if it’s not the case. As soon as you realize that you’ve been involved in a car accident, check yourself. Check if you got any serious injuries that will require immediate attention.
Assess what you feel and if you’re feeling fine, check how your passengers are doing, if you have any, and check the other people involved in the accident. After making sure everyone, including yourself, is still doing good, you can then start to assess for other damages.
Get to safety
Part of assessing the damages is making sure that the vehicles involved have no tendency of getting fired up or even exploding. If possible, stay away from the damaged vehicles. It’s also possible that the heat of the moment will spark tension between the parties involved in the accident. Just make sure that everyone is calm and is safe from getting any more hurt.
Call the authorities
Minor collision or not, 911 should be called to report what happened. There are even states that require this so just be sure to comply. The officers that will respond are required to fill out an accident report. These people will also document the scene.
However, it’s possible that immediate response won’t be available, so what you can do instead is to go to the nearest police station to report the issue and file for the accident report. Know that this is important as you’ll need this for your insurance claim.
Seek legal advice
Protecting your rights after getting involved in a car accident can be very crucial. It’s best to consult a car wreck lawyer to make sure that all necessary steps will be taken for you to get your claim and to net get in trouble for something you didn’t do.
After calling for the authorities, you can also call your lawyer who could guide you and tell you what else you can do while you wait for the authorities. If you feel like you’ll be blamed for the accident, definitely, talking to a lawyer is best before talking to anyone else.
Exchange information
This is something that could happen as soon as you ensure that everyone is safe or while you’re waiting for the authorities to arrive. It’s best to get information about the other people involved in the accident. Get their full name and contact information. You should also take note of the plate number of the other vehicle involved.
If you can, you should also check if you can get details from witnesses. If you are able to get someone who saw what happened, get the person’s information as well. You might need help from a witness in the future.
Document the accident
While the authorities who will respond to the scene will surely document the accident, you can also do this yourself. Take pictures, get the names of the officers involved in the scene, get a copy of the report from the officers, and talk to witnesses.
This could help make sure that you have everything you need if in case you’ll need to defend yourself. You can keep an accident information form somewhere in your vehicle to make sure you’re prepared when accidents happen.
Notify your insurance company
Whether your car is wrecked or not, you should always call your insurance company. The insurance company can help with your vehicle repairs with your deductible. The insurance will most likely send an inspector to see how much damage your vehicle has.
If your car is totaled, then you’ll most likely get an amount from your insurance company. This will really depend on the vehicle you’re driving. If you have your vehicle financed, then the money will go to the financer to help you pay off the car.