Car Accident is unfortunate/unplanned incidents that happens unexpectedly or unintentionally, which results in damage or injury. Accidents can occur anywhere and anytime, it can occur on the road, home, sports field, hospital, or in your workplace.
Car accidents are a major cause of death, despite improvements in automobile safety. The major causes of car accidents are, over speeding, drinking while driving / drunk driving, tailgating, sleeping while driving, improper use of car safety measures i.e seat belt, etc.
What to do After a Car Accident
Like I said, accidents are unplanned incident, therefore it can happen to anyone, no matter how safe a driver can be. If you are involved in an accident (minor or major), there are few things you should always do right after the accident, which includes:
Move to Safety and Remain Calm
After an accident, you need to move your car to safety to avoid heavy traffic, but don’t leave the scene. This is not a time to start screaming, fighting or getting angry, these reactions can make things worst, all you need to do is stay calm.
Note: never make things worst by leaving the scene and turning it into a hit and run accident.
Contact The Proper Authorities
If there are injured persons in the scene, the first thing to do is to call 911. Then you also call the police and also get a police report. This can help the insurance companies determine who was at fault.
Gather Evidence
Gathering evidence is very useful and helpful, you can gather evidence by safely taking photos of the accident as-is before the cars are moved out of the traffic. Also document the damages and other facts i.e. the time the accident occurred, traffic condition, license plate numbers, and other road hazards that might have contributed to the incident.
Avoid Admitting Fault
Never say “it’s my fault” in a car accident, just gather your evidence and report the facts as you saw them. The police and insurance company will come to the conclusion of who is at fault based on all the gathered evidence, facts, and reports from everyone involved in the incident.
What to do After a Car Accident That is Not Your Fault
Even if an accident is not your fault, it’s not advisable to flee from an incident scene. This is against the law in every state. The drivers must remain at the scene (be it your fault or not) until the law enforcement agency arrives. When a car accident is not your fault, all you need to do is:
Call the Police Immediately After a Car Accident
No matter how the accident was (be it minor or major), you need to call 911. The police report will help your insurance claim, so it’s very important to also involve them.
Gather Important Information
Gathering information about the other driver involved is a very important thing to do. Even if it is a minor car accident. if you want damages like car repair, medical bills, etc to be covered, then you need to gather information like:
- Name of the driver
- Address
- Phone number
- Policy number
- Plate number
- Driver’s license
- Insurance company contact information
