Car accidents are one of the greatest issues in the United States. There are over six million car crashes every year, and three million people suffer injuries. These situations can be very disorienting. One moment you’re calmly heading toward your destination and the next you’re in a wreck wondering what to do.
Accidents can be frustrating and may ruin your afternoon, but it’s important to stay calm and try not to panic. If you follow the proper protocol, the situation will be over quickly, and you’ll be able to resume your day.
Protect your health
The most important thing to do following a car accident is to protect your health. Crashes can be extremely dangerous and nearly 1.25 million people die in accidents each year. Additionally, 20 to 50 million suffer an injury or become disabled due to a crash.
In case of an emergency, make sure to seek medical attention at once. If not, your primary goal should be to protect yourself and prevent any further damage. Make sure to pull over to a safe area and remove your vehicle from the middle of the road before proceeding.
Notify the police
After checking for injuries, it’s important to notify the police. If there is an emergency, it’s crucial to get the person immediate attention. Even if there are not any injuries, it’s still important to contact the proper authorities. You do not necessarily need to file a police report at this point, but you still want to create a proper record of the accident. The police can be very helpful in clearing up what are typically difficult situations.
Document the crash
Documenting your accident is very important for remedying the situation. You will want to gather as much information as possible about what occurred. Try to document everything you remember from the crash and write it down. If you can, talk to anyone who saw what happened and take down their perspective as well. Finally, take out your camera phone and capture as many photos of the scene as you can. Your goal here is to have an organized documentation of every piece of information that you can find on the incident.
This information could all prove to be very important when filing a claim with your insurance provider or if you must get attorneys involved.
Exchange information
Exchanging information with the person you got into an accident with is another important step of the process. You should make sure to gather the name, address, telephone number and insurance provider of the person involved in the accident. The police will make a record of all this information as well, but you will need to request a report to access it. It’s better if you make a personal record of the situation to assure that you have everything you need easily accessible.
Contact insurance provider
Finally, it’s time to give your insurance provider a call. This is why it’s so important to keep a detailed record of everything that happened at the time of the accident. You will need to provide as much information as possible to the agent in order to file your claim. Make sure to keep track of all your documents and continue to have an accurate record of the timeline readily available.
Understanding how to properly handle a car accident can help make the situation move forward as smoothly as possible. If you happen to have an issue with your insurance provider or another person involved in the incident, make sure to contact an experienced attorney to guide you.
