Steps after a car accident: This is what to do

It’s never pleasant being in a car accident, regardless of how minor or severe. If you’re like most people, you’re likely to be in a state of shock for at least a few minutes following the collision. Once you overcome that startled feeling, it’s time to start thinking about your next steps. To ensure that you take the correct steps after a car accident, follow this useful guide.

4 necessary steps after a car accident:

1. Determine the severity of injuries

Before doing anything, you must understand the extent of injuries to you and any passengers in your vehicle. If anyone requires medical attention, then call emergency services to get them on the scene as quickly as possible.

Similarly, check the vehicle for damages, especially damages that could affect mobility. If possible, and if your injuries are not too severe to operate the car, get it off the road so traffic can continue to pass. But otherwise, it’s more important to keep the vehicles in the same place until the police arrive.

2. Get the facts

You’ve got to understand what happened and who is at fault. It’s crucial here not to admit any blame for the incident.

Do not approach the other driver to apologize, which is something people do even if it is not their fault. Doing so could affect liability claims.

You should, however, still get information about the incident. Firstly, write down the date and the time.

Confirm the location using GPS, and remember anything else that happened directly before and after the accident. You also need to get the other party’s details for insurance purposes and the identification number for the car.

3. Take photos: One of the lesser known steps after a car accident

Smartphones may get a bad reputation, and sometimes they are even the reason for car accidents. However, they can also be useful following a collision.

Use your smartphone to take photographs of any damage to the vehicle or vehicles, and also make sure to snap a selfie if you’ve suffered any injuries yourself. Insurance companies will typically request photos anyway, and most of them will allow you to submit your claim via a smartphone app.

Thus, pictures will be valuable when determining the damage and working out who is at fault.

4. Go through the correct legal processes

After the dust settles on the accident, you may want to pursue legal action, especially if it was not your fault. If you suffered an injury, personal injury lawyers could provide you with the right representation to help you find compensation.

This would be particularly useful if you were required to take any time off work or school.

People sometimes decide not to press charges following a collision, and often it’s because they don’t feel the legal processes are worth the hassle, or they worked out a compromise with the guilty party. However, if you think legal action will be beneficial, it is always worth consideration.

Accidents happen, but…

Just because they happen doesn’t mean you needn’t follow the proper procedures after a vehicle incident. If you understand the most appropriate action to take now, it will help mitigate any issues if you should be in the unfortunate situation of being in a collision.

Following the necessary steps after a car accident will help to ensure that the recovery, insurance, and even legal procedures are smooth, simple, and successful.