Here’s what to do if vehicle accident happens to you:
- Begin with Your Own Safety
- Get Assistance
- Gather the Required Information
- Take Photographs
- Repair Your Vehicle and File a Claim
There is no way to truly prepare for a car accident. They happen in an instant and can have a significant impact on your life. You can, however, plan ahead of time to protect both your physical and financial health in the event of an accident. The first five steps you should take after a car accident are listed below.
- Begin with Your Own Safety.
After being involved in an accident, your primary concern should be personal safety because it will have an impact on the overall outcome of the incident. Check yourself quickly to see if you’re injured and, if so, how badly?. Seat belts, of course, save lives in car accidents.
Buckling up increases the likelihood that you will be in good enough condition to survive an ordeal such as a car accident.
If you’re not seriously hurt, check on anyone else in your vehicle to see if they can move on their own or if it’s safe to move them. Take note of their specific injuries and, if possible, record them.
Your next objective is to keep everyone else on the road safe. If possible, move your vehicle to a safe location away from moving traffic and make it as visible as possible.
Turn on your lights and hazards, if they still work, and deploy any additional road safety equipment you may have in your vehicle (e.g., signs, flares, etc.). Once these tasks have been completed, check on the occupants of any other vehicles involved to see if assistance is required.
- Get Assistance
The next step is to determine what kind of emergency assistance you require. Call 999 immediately if anyone involved in the accident appears to be injured. It’s better to be safe than sorry if you’re unsure whether someone has been injured. Request immediate assistance from first responders.
After you’ve ensured your own and everyone else’s safety, you should seek assistance in documenting the accident scene. Call the local police, even if another party requests that law enforcement stay out of the situation or that the problem be handled without insurance. Creating an accident report will be extremely helpful as you move forward, especially if someone later involves their insurance company or if the case becomes litigious.
- Gather the Required Information
While you wait for the cops, you should start gathering more information. At its most basic, this entails exchanging information with the Best Safe Driver. You will require their insurance information, licence plate information, name, physical address, and primary phone number. The more distinguishing information you can obtain, the better.
It’s also a good idea to act as if you’re gathering evidence for a legal case. That includes writing down all relevant information you can find, such as the names of all passengers involved in the accident, the make and model of all vehicles involved, the location of the accident, and even the date and time.You should also obtain the responding officers’ badge numbers and try to document the contact information for any eyewitnesses to the collision.
- Take Photographs
A picture is worth a thousand words (or more! ), so take pictures of the accident with your phone’s camera. Of course, do not do so in a way that jeopardises the police investigation. But make sure you gather the information as soon as possible, even if that means waiting until the police have left to take your pictures.
Any damage done to your vehicle, or any driver service (Best Safe Driver), or even your own body should be documented. Given that this information can and will change over time, keeping an immediate record can be extremely beneficial in the future.
- Repair Your Vehicle and File a Claim
Finally, contact your insurance provider. If you can’t find a contact number on your insurance card, you can look it up on the carrier’s website. Your insurance company will assist you through the claims process, including working with the other driver’s insurance company, if properly filed.
You’ll need to get your car repaired from here. Inquire with your insurance company about approved repair facilities before calling for an estimate. You’ll want to keep the cost of your repairs as low as possible, so call around to find an approved shop that will give you a fair price.
