You never know what might happen once you get out on the road, as it’s not just up to you to make sure everyone is safe – other drivers can be incredibly unpredictable. What might start as a fun road trip, can turn into a day of exchanging information and having your car towed. It’s because of this that you should make sure you know what actions you should take if you were ever unfortunately involved in an accident yourself.
Safely pull over
If you’re able to, you should get your car off the road and safely pull over at the nearest location. You do this to make sure you are okay to handle the situation, and to check on the other driver or drivers to ensure their safety. While some car accidents can be minor, there will be times on the road when a driver is injured and needs medical care.
Call emergency services
Of course, if the other driver or any passengers have been injured, you should make sure to get in touch with emergency services as soon as possible. Serious injuries should be handled carefully, and are much better left up to the help of a healthcare professional.
Exchange your details
Depending on the nature of the accident, you should exchange insurance details and contact information with the other driver. You do this so that you can resolve the incident through the correct systems, and compensation and insurance can be awarded.
Gather evidence
If you aren’t injured then you should try to make sure you’ve got some evidence of what happened. This might involve taking photos of the scene, speaking with witnesses and passengers, and making sure you’ve got the full story. It can be difficult to properly recall the incident shortly after you had been involved in it, so the clearer picture you can get before handling the situation, the better. You might have to prove to your insurers that you were not at fault, for example, or else you may not receive the compensation you need to recover from the event.
See a doctor
Once you know that everyone is safe and you have exchanged information, you should make sure to get yourself checked immediately. Even if you feel fine following an accident, if you knocked your head during it, you may have a concussion. The symptoms aren’t always instant, and can take some time to show – and you’ll want to know about it so you can ensure you’re taking the right actions to deal with it.
Get in touch with an attorney
Not all accidents happen in a nature where both drivers agree on what happened, and you may find yourself having to prove your role in the event. Taking the other driver to court with a car accident attorney can make it much more likely for you to win your case, and you’ll want all of the help you can get. Your attorney can help you to make the right decisions following your accident, as well as collect any extra evidence that might be needed to prove your innocence.