Any type of road traffic incident can be a scary and distressing experience but staying calm will help you in any situation. Whilst you may be in shock and experiencing pain, trying to remain calm will ensure you’re able to cope with the situation appropriately and effectively.
Access medical help
Depending on the severity of the car accident, you may need to contact the emergency services for assistance. When road traffic collisions occur, people can sustain serious and life-threatening injuries, so swift medical treatment is vital. In addition to this, the police may be required to re-route traffic and investigate the cause of the accident, so call 911 as soon as you’ve assessed how serious the situation is.
Gather evidence
How the accident happened could be the center of a subsequent police investigation or a personal injury claim, so gathering as much evidence as you can is a good idea. Depending on the severity of your injuries, take photos or video of the vehicles involved and ask witnesses if they would be willing to give you their contact details.
Of course, if your injuries prevent you from gathering evidence at the scene, there’s no need to panic. This won’t prevent the police from investigating the incident and it won’t prevent anyone from obtaining the compensation they deserve either.
Try to figure out what happened
In some cases, it may be obvious what’s gone wrong and who was responsible for the accident but it’s not always so clear cut. Road traffic accidents can happen in an instant and the shock can prevent you from really registering what’s happened. If you’ve been hit by a car, for example, you won’t be expected to give a full account of exactly what happened and where the vehicle came from.
If you’re able to, try and piece together what you think happened and determine who was responsible for the accident. Don’t assume that one party is liable, even if they’re a pedestrian or a cyclist. Anyone can inadvertently cause a road traffic accident, so reserve judgment until you have all of the facts.
Save your dashcam footage
If you have a dashcam in your vehicle, be sure to save the footage after an accident or collision. Many dashcams automatically delete footage so that data can be freed up for your next journey, but you’ll want to keep footage of the incident, the aftermath and what led to it. This type of evidence can be extremely important following a car accident, so be sure to save the footage and make a couple of back-ups too.
Find alternative transport
If the accident wasn’t serious, you may not be too badly hurt, and your vehicle may be drivable. However, it’s never a good idea to get straight back behind the wheel after an accident. Increased levels of adrenaline could affect your ability to drive safely and being in shock could result in you being caught up in another accident. Instead, call a family member or close friend to ensure you can continue your journey safely.
If you keep calm, you and everyone around you will far much better!