Being in a car accident can be a really scary experience. Nobody wills for it to happen, but sometimes, the carelessness of oneself, others, or just pure bad luck makes it happen. It is perfectly natural to start panicking after you have been in a car crash or accident. But it is important to keep a cool head and start properly dealing with the situation at hand.
If you crash your car and remain unscathed, then it is impertinent that you don’t let yourself get shaken up. This is, unfortunately, a very common occurrence, so if you own and drive a car, it is wise to educate yourself on what you need to do when you after you have been in a car accident.
Here is what you should do after a car accident:
1. Check The Condition of Your Fellow Passengers if Any
Whether you are a driver or just riding in a car that has been in an accident, the first thing that you need to do is check whether anyone else is hurt. Safety comes first, and nothing is more important than one’s life. So, check if anyone is hurt, how hurt they are, and if they need medical assistance. Swift medical assistance can help to prevent long-term damage.
Immediately call for help by calling the relevant emergency telephone numbers.
2. Move Out of Your Vehicle
If you are lucky enough to have only had a minor accident, then make sure the car doesn’t block the traffic. If your car does not have any major damage, then carefully drive it to the sight of the road. Turn on the hazard lights and, if possible, set up a flare or some sort of warning to approaching vehicles to warn them of the wreck ahead.
If your car is badly damaged, get out of the car, evacuate the other passengers, and move away. Call for help and stand at a distance until help arrives. Sometimes, car wrecks may leak fuel, and then severed electrical cables can ignite fires and lead to very damaging and dangerous explosions. So, it is always better to stay at a distance from your crashed car until professional help arrives.
3. Document The Scene
You should document the whole scene of the crash. Use your mobile phone to create a video of the entire scene and capture the whole wreck, the point of collision, and also property damage. State your name and narrate what happened in the video while documenting it. Be sure to also capture road signs, street names, or any other noticeable features around you.
You can also create voice memos and narrate what happened. How the car is positioned about the street is a very important aspect of car accident investigations. All this documentation will help you with the later legal steps that you need to take, such as claiming insurance or suing a reckless driver who caused the damage. At the relevant time you can provide the evidence relating to the crash to your car accident lawyers Perth.
4. Contact the Police
Whenever there are accidents, the police are bound to handle the issue. Call them beforehand to assess and regulate the situation. They will then channelize the requirements and get tow trucks and medical help if needed. Be sure to note the police officer’s name, badge number, and contact information so that you can ask him for a copy of the accident report. This will help you when you deal with your insurance claim later on.
5. Note The Important Information
If your car has been in an accident due to a crash with another vehicle be sure to take down the names, contact details, and addresses of all the people that are involved in the accident. Takedown the registration number of the car, and if the driver is not the owner, then note down the owner’s details too.
After you are done with that, use your phone camera to click photos of the accident site, the point where the cars crashed, property damage in both the cars and year, make, model of both the cars.
Usually, when a crash happens, a crowd gathers around the site. Ask them if they witnessed the accident and if they are willing to provide a description. Record it with their permission, and state your name, the witness’s name, and the purpose of the recording before the actual narration begins.
If you are sued later, this evidence will be very useful in your defence, assuming of course that you did not cause the accident. It will also help you to claim your insurance faster.
6. Avoid Chit-Chat with Bystanders
Do not engage in any conversation of responsibility and who is to blame with anyone present on the scene. Do not divulge your personal information unless asked by the police, medical professionals, or road authority.
More importantly, do not engage in any sort of argument with the other party whose car you crashed with. After an accident, people get angry and aggressive, which may lead them to behaving inappropriately. If you wish to deal with the difficult situation in the best possible way keep a cool head and avoid unnecessary discussions and arguments.
7. Contact a Car Accident Lawyer and Your Insurer
Your insurance provider is likely to ask a lot of questions in the event of a car accident which is perfectly natural. Before contacting your personal injury insurer make sure you contact motor vehicle accident injury lawyers Perth for legal advice regarding your claim. Your experienced lawyer will give you the legal advice you require following a car accident. You might also seek advice from your lawyer about the property damage to the motor vehicles involved in the crash.
Once you have received legal advice you can contact your insurer. You should start the insurance claim process as soon as possible after you have been in the accident. Even if you don’t want to make a claim, you should still call your insurance company.
8. Finally, Get A Medical Check-Up
After you have dealt with your technical and legal responsibilities following a car accident, it is time to get yourself to a doctor for an overall check-up. You may feel completely fine, but you never know which part of your body might be internally haemorrhaging. It is always better to be safe than to be sorry if you get it wrong.
Hopefully, you may never be involved in a car accident. However, life can be unpredictable. If God forbid you do find yourself in a car accident you will now hopefully know what you need to do. Please drive safely.
