Measures to Take After a Car Accident

It’s always better to be safe than sorry. We should all know about the safety measures to take after a car accident. 

One of the valuable factors in life is to look after ourselves and be safe. However, we often face obstacles and accidents in life that may result in fatal injuries or even loss of life. 

These accidents cause long-term trauma and injuries and can become quite troublesome in the future. We feel more like a burden to the people who are in charge of taking care of us.

The most common type of accident is a car accident, which most of the time results in death or long term injuries. 

Reasons for Car Accident

There are several reasons why people end up in a car accident. It is unfortunate to have an accident, but often it results due to the slightest mistakes during driving. 

Listed below are the most common reasons for a car accident to take place. 

1. Overspeeding
2. Violation of traffic rules
3. Rash Driving
4. Drunk-driving
5. Pedestrian carelessness
6. Crossing at the wrong time or place
7. Jaywalking

What to do after a Car Accident

There are a few immediate measures you can take after an accident. This is to save lives and take immediate precautions to avoid facing a more severe situation. An instant response can help prevent long term, unwanted injuries, and post-traumatic events. 

There are certain guidelines you can follow to take instant action after the accident. However, make sure to contact the police and your lawyers immediately. For example, if you face an accident in San Antonio, there are San Antonio car accident lawyers, especially to take care of matters related to car-related accidents.

What to do after a Car Accident 

The following measures you need to take instantly after a vehicle collision.

• Call 911 

This should be the top priority to call the police, as soon as you face an accident or someone you saw encountered an accident. The wisest decision would be to involve the police, as they will handle the situation more professionally and efficiently. 

If it is left to us to handle the situation we can hesitate, panic, and take wrong decisions in circumstances like these. 

• Move your Car Aside

It’s wise to move your car to the side if no one was hurt. As that will help the other travelers’ move freely to avoid traffic due to road blockage. 

If you are unable to move the car by yourself, you can always take the help of the police to get your car towed. It’s wise to think of others as well, even when you are facing an accident. Moreover, leaving your car in the middle of the road can also result in another accident. 

Remember to take some pictures of your car, right after the accident for future car insurance purposes.  

• Exchange Information 

After you are done reporting the accident to the police, make sure you exchange information and number with the driver of the car you had the accident.  

Make sure to note down their vehicle number, driver’s license information, license plate number, insurance information, etc. it’s essential for future communication.

This way if the driver is unlicensed, you can inform the police on the spot.

• Note Every Detail 

Write down everything that happened during the accident, both before and after the incident. Don’t forget to take pictures while you take notes. 

Include details about weather, time, state of traffic at the time of the accident. This will help during the insurance investigation. Hence every small detail is important. 

• Witness Value

To claim insurance, or to avoid being falsely charged for the accident, you need to prioritize the value of any witnesses available. 

You need to be sensible and polite while asking for their contact details so that they can be your witness for the incidents. 

• Check if your car is in a Good State to Drive 

It’s important to check if your car is in a good state and if you can drive it back home. If it is not in a drivable condition, it will be unsafe to drive that car and may end up in a bigger accident. 

• Check if an Animal was Hurt or Not

Make sure to check if you injured or ran over an animal during your accident. Whether it’s a wild animal or a pet, the initial job is to call the police to inform them about the injured animal, for identification and medical attention. 

The first thing you do after spotting the animal is to put it to the side of the road and check for injuries and consciousness and call the cops immediately. However, if you think it’s a pet, look for the owner.

• Contact Insurance Companies and Lawyers

You need to contact your insurance company as soon as you get over with all the reporting. As only they can help you with the insurance claims and work on your case with the driver of the car involved in the accident. Most of the time your insurance company covers the cost and finds you a suitable attorney. 

Keep in mind when you call the insurance company of the person at fault, don’t give out too much information on you and the case. As they can use it against you.

If you have already gotten medical care, make sure you keep the bills, prescriptions, and record of the doctor’s visit. After this, hand over all the details about your accident and your medical reports to your lawyer. This will help them evaluate and judge your case. 

Remember to choose an attorney who has got previous experience with handling car accident cases. 

Be Alert, Stay Safe

Now that we know, the most common ways we may get into a car accident, we can take certain measures to avoid an unfortunate event. Next time you encounter an accident make sure to follow the steps mentioned above. 

Most importantly, drive safely, follow traffic rules, and keep an eye on the road.