After you’ve been in a car crash, your mind is probably running a mile a minute and a hundred different feelings may be coursing through your body. Surviving a car accident, no matter how big or small, can shatter your illusion that the world is safe and launch you into a situation that is difficult to navigate in the best of circumstances.
The best thing to do first is to collect yourself. Once you’ve gathered your bearings and recognized that you experienced a car crash, it’s time to get to work and ensure you won’t have to deal with the fallout from this ordeal for years to come. If you’ve been injured, you should call 911 for medical attention.
Additionally, you may need to report the crash to law enforcement. You’ll also have to consult with your car insurance provider to see what follow up tasks after a car accident you’ll have to do if there’s damage to vehicle parts. After a moderate car accident, you could still be on the hook for failure to provide insurance details after an accident if you don’t do that. Instead of assuming that you know what to do, review our list of what you must do after a car crash below.
Car crashes are an inevitability. At some point in your life, you most likely will be involved in some kind of accident involving a motor vehicle. With any luck, it will be a simple fender bender and no harm will come to anyone and now damage will be done to either car. On the off chance it is more than that, here are five things you should do in the aftermath of being in a car accident.
1. Remain Calm Going through the trauma of being in a car accident can leave you feeling a bit vulnerable and unsure of what to do next. It’s important to keep yourself calm so that you’re thinking straight and clearly about what step in needed next. Remind yourself that this all can be resolved and taken care of with the proper help.
2. Keep your Health in Mind Around 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury each year, with motor vehicles being a huge cause of them. Most TBI-related death is a result of fatal car accidents. It is important to take your health into account and assure that any bodily injury is treated and documented after the car crash.
3. Write Down Everything you Remember About the Accident This is crucial for lawyers who become involved in your case. Simply remembering the smallest detail can save you a lot of time and frustration later on in the case. It is especially important if you recall seeing the other driver on a mobile device, as 660,000 drivers are using or manipulating cell phones and other electric devices daily in America. If you recall the other vehicle being a large truck, this is relevant as well as around 330,000 large trucks were involved in vehicle collisions in 2012.
4. Choosing a Lawyer Finding the right attorney is essential in the aftermath of a car crash. It is the legal professionals job to represent you, their client, in court regarding the accident and see to it that you come out on top. They take everything into account, from any injuries sustained in the car accident, to the circumstances and state the other driver was in when the crash occurred. Over 9.9 million people were reported to have driven under the influence of illicit drugs in 2013. It is the lawyer’s job to find out if the other driver was distracted or otherwise compromised in their decision making while behind the wheel of a car.
5. Try and Relax Once you have chosen you lawyer, the best you can do is let them do their job. You can assist by answering any and all questions they pose to you as honestly as possible. They will come up with the best solution to help you with your case in court. Taking care of yourself is just as important, if not, more important than worrying about a case that’s out of your hands.