Can you believe that there are close to 14,500 car accidents every day in the United States?
Unless you live in a big city with a strong public transportation system in place, having a car in America is a necessity. Even though the risks of driving are high, doing your best to take on the roads with caution can help you avoid a lot of trouble. Learning what to do after a car accident now will also help you stay calm in the event that you do get into a crash at some point.
There are all kinds of things that drivers do to make car accidents more dangerous and frustrating than they need to be. Are you confident that you know every step you should take in the event of a car accident? Keep reading this guide that will outline 10 essential steps so you can test your knowledge.
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1. Check Yourself and Then Others for Injuries
Getting into a car crash is a jarring experience that can make it challenging to keep your priorities straight. The most important thing to remember after a car accident is to check yourself for any serious injuries. If you think that you've passed the car accident injury test, then you can start checking on your passengers and anyone else in other vehicles that were affected by the crash.
Some common car accident injuries include whiplash, cuts, bruises, sprains, broken bones, and numbness. If the car crash occurred at a high speed, then the risk of getting a serious injury increases. These injuries have the chance to become fatal if anyone involved wasn't wearing a seatbelt.
2. Call for Help When in Doubt
The silver lining of getting into a car crash is that most people don't need immediate medical attention. If this is the case, then everyone can go home and monitor themselves for symptoms. However, sometimes it's hard to assess everyone's injuries to determine whether or not you need to call an ambulance.
If anyone hit their head, has trouble moving or breathing, or is bleeding a lot, then you need to call 911 right away. It's always better to get assessed by a professional and get permission to go home instead of letting a serious injury go untreated. Some injuries like internal bleeding don't seem serious enough until some time has passed, and then it's too late to get help.
3. Consider Moving the Vehicle to a Safer Spot
One of the scariest facts about getting into a car crash is that other drivers can crash into your car again if they don't have enough time to see the scene and move to give you space. Highways are the most dangerous place to get into a crash because everyone else continues to move fast until they spot the crashed cars. Another treacherous area is on a road with lots of curves because some drivers don't slow down like they should.
This is why you may want to consider moving your vehicle over to the side of the road so you're as far away from oncoming traffic as possible. Pulling off this maneuver can be somewhat tricky since some drivers may interpret your actions as fleeing the scene if you don't communicate first. If you can't get out of your car safely to chat with the other driver first, use your blinkers and body language to communicate that you're pulling over to somewhere safer.
4. Swap Important Information With Involved Drivers
Once you're confident that everyone on the scene is safe, the next step that you can't forget to cover is swapping relevant details with the drivers. If you drive off without exchanging information, you won't be able to file a proper claim and get the compensation that you need to recover from the car accident. You need to make sure that you get every necessary piece of information without oversharing because that could backfire.
You can use the note app on your phone or grab a pen and paper to write down the drivers' names, phone numbers, addresses, license plates, car insurance providers, driver's license numbers, and car makes and models. If you're waiting for a tow truck, ambulance, or police officer to come, try to avoid making small talk with anyone else on the scene. If you apologize or say anything that could be used to incriminate you, you may not get any compensation because the other drivers will say that you were at fault.
5. Take Photos to Gather Evidence
If you think that your claim will be hard to win, then you need all the evidence that you can get on your side. This is where taking photos can come in handy. Photos capture the scene of the crash, and you can't dispute photos like you can dispute someone else's story.
Don't feel shy about taking as many photos as needed. It's a good idea to take photos from multiple angles so you can capture every detail.
6. File a Report With the Police
Getting the police involved isn't always necessary. However, you may want to have peace of mind that they'll file a factual report that all drivers can access. Police may be on the road nearby and pull over to help, or you always have the option to call 911 to request roadside assistance.
The police officer will need to know your name, driver's license, and car insurance provider to complete the report. Be sure to write down their name and badge number so you can contact them later if necessary.
7. Call Your Car Insurance Provider to Report the Accident
Another intimidating step that you can't afford to delay is getting in contact with your car insurance provider. They need to know about the accident as soon as possible so that they can do their best to help you. If you wait several days to contact them, they may have grounds to deny your claim.
Give your car insurance provider all of the details that you've collected at the scene. The more details they have, the better your chances of getting your claim approved are.
8. Schedule a Checkup With Your Physician
Some people think that they're in the clear if they can get out of a car accident without riding in the back of an ambulance. The truth is that minor injuries can cause lots of pain and interfere with your everyday life. This is why you should try to schedule a trip to your doctor right away.
After their examination, you can sigh, knowing that you're on the road to recovery. If there's any medication or activities you can do to ease your symptoms, then your doctor will prescribe the best customized treatment plan. Visiting your doctor after the car accident can also help you diagnose health problems that take a while to develop, such as whiplash.
9. Make Sure That Your Car Is Still Safe to Drive
Everyone's worst fear during a car crash is getting their car totaled. Thankfully, not many drivers have to go through this experience after a minor car accident. Even if your car isn't severely damaged, the impact could cause issues that make driving unsafe until your vehicle gets repaired by a mechanic.
If you already have a mechanic that you trust, you can go to them and get high-quality care. If you don't have a reliable mechanic yet, you may want to get a few estimates from different mechanics to see who can give you the best service.
10. Hire a Lawyer If You Need Help
There are plenty of reasons why someone may need to hire a car accident lawyer. The biggest concern is that your car insurance claim didn't get approved, and you're left to foot the bills alone.
Hiring a talented car accident attorney like alphaaccidentlawyers.com will empower you. Your lawyer will fight hard so that you can have money to heal from your injuries and repair or replace your car.
Now You Know What to Do After a Car Accident
Learning about car accident safety at a young age is crucial because crashes happen so often. Even experienced drivers sometimes don't know what to do after a car accident because they've been fortunate enough to avoid one for years. The good news is that reading this guide will equip you with all of the knowledge you need to stay calm during this scary situation and get the care that you deserve.
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