It does not matter what you do to keep yourself and others safe on the road; you can not always prevent an accident. When you find yourself in one, it can feel like the end of the world. You are dealing with a lot of different emotions all at once. Usually, fear, surprise and anger. We know how it feels to be in an accident and not know how to react or what to do next. That is why we have come up with this friendly guide that will help you out if you ever find yourself in that traumatic situation.
Step 1: Assess The Situation
The first thing that you should do is forget about fault and blame for the moment. Whether or not you or another were responsible will come later. Your main concern is if anyone in the car needs emergency medical attention. Check your body for cuts and wounds, but also signs of internal bleeding. You need to be aware that you may not always feel the pain of a serious injury after a car accident. This is because there is adrenaline pumping around, numbing the pain. But you need to make the checks now in case you need to call an ambulance. Once everyone has been checked, you can move on to step two.
Step 2: Is It Safe?
You will probably want to leave your vehicle as soon as possible, safe or not. But you must stay calm and be sensible. If you have crashed on a busy highway, there is still the chance another car will join the crash. If that is the case, it is safer to stay inside your vehicle. On the other hand, if there are no serious injuries, you may be better leaving the vehicle and waiting away from the road.
Step 3; Call The Emergency Services
It is a very rare that you will need to call the emergency services yourself, this is usually done by an onlooker. However, if you did find serious injuries you should have already called for an ambulance and the police. Depending on your injuries, you may need to speak to the police at the scene of the accident. Again you should understand that this is not so that they can direct blame. It is only to assess what happened. Eventually, you may need to contact a lawyer, but you should not worry about this until everyone is safe and sound.
Step 4: Time To Call A Lawyer
Your level of involvement in the accident will determine what type of lawyer you need. For instance, if people believe it was your fault, you may need a distracted driving attorney. Even if it was not your fault and you were injured by another driver, you might want to sue for damages. This is perfectly reasonable, and you should speak to a firm about your options when you get home. If you think that you are to blame for the accident then you may want to seek the help of a driving defence service who can assist you through the whole process.
Step 5: Check The Car
Finally, depending on the severity of the crash, you may have been able to take your car home. If that is the case, you need to think about whether you can repair it or if you need a mechanic. If it was a write-off, try not to fixate on the negative. Focus on the fact that there were no serious injuries, and you were not hurt. This should always be what matters most.
