What To Do In The Event Of A Car Accident
The hours and days immediately following a car accident can be scary. Knowing what to do in the event of a car accident, and whom to contact, can lessen your feelings of fear by giving you a sense of purpose and order.
What to do Immediately After a Car Accident
Take these steps immediately after the car accident occurs to ensure that you and other passengers of your car are safe. Your priorities at this time are to get help as needed, notify authorities and vacate the scene of the accident as soon as it is safe and appropriate.
- Pull over if it's possible to do so safely.
- Ask all passengers in the car if they are all right. If any passengers in the car report injuries, call emergency vehicles if necessary.
- Inspect the damage to the car if it's possible to do so safely.
- Contact the police to file a report.
- Exchange insurance information with the other driver.
- Take pictures and make notes about the accident. Note the time, exact location, date and other details.
What to do In the Hours and Days after the Accident
Once you've gone home after an accident, you'll want to move on with your life as soon as possible. For many car accident victims, this involves healing the body and fixing the car.
- Contact your insurance company. This needs to be done as soon as there's a good time to do so. Your insurance agent will need to know the how, when, where and why of the accident. Be prepared to discuss this at length, and refer back to your notes during your conversation. Your insurance agent may also want to see any photographs you took of the incident, so have those ready to send.
- Coordinate with your mechanic if vehicular repairs are necessary. Find out how much damage was done, what (if any) repairs will be covered by your insurance, and how long it will be before you can drive your car again. If insurance is covering the cost of the repairs and a rental vehicle, work carefully with your agent to ensure the quick return of your vehicle.
- Contact your doctor and chiropractor (such as Yaeger Chiropractic), and encourage the other passengers in your vehicle to do the same. While you may have felt well enough to leave the scene of the accident without going to a hospital, undetected injuries like whiplash can surface days or even weeks after the accident. Be cognizant of any symptoms that may indicate an accident-related injury has occurred. These symptoms include:
- stiff neck
- headaches
- blurred vision
- pain in the back, shoulders and neck
- Contact a personal injury attorney if necessary. If you've been injured in a car accident, you may require the services of a personal injury attorney to protect you and your rights.
The road to recovery after an accident can be a long one. Cooperation between medical professionals, your insurance agent, your lawyer and the police will speed the process.
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