What to do in the Event of an Accident
If you’ve just experienced an accident, it may be difficult to try to think straight and figure out what to do. A lot of it is common sense, but common sense can be in short supply when everyone involved in an incident has just been through a near-death experience.
Because emotions can run high and it can be so hard to evaluate the situation objectively right away, you should be prepared beforehand. You should read up a little on how to prepare yourself with an emergency kit, and know the general procedure for how to deal with an accident.
In your emergency kit, you should have, at the very least, the following items.
♦Roadside Flares
♦A Flashlight
♦A First Aid Kit
♦A Disposable Camera
Anything else you can think to put in there is fine, too. And this is in addition to everything you have in the trunk to deal with things like flat tires and so on.
As mentioned above, it’s hard to keep your head on straight right after an accident, so know what to do beforehand.
Assess injury. Some people recommend that you first try and determine who is at fault, but in a severe accident, lives are on the line. If someone in your car, a pedestrian, or someone in the other car is bleeding profusely or has broken bones or is having a heart attack or trouble breathing, dealing with life threatening injury is always top priority.
Try to determine what caused the accident. While the incident is still fresh in your mind, make mental notes, or write it down if you can. If it comes to a civil case or if you have to explain it all to an auto insurance representative, you’ll have trouble getting it all straight if you didn’t take note when it first occurred.
Depending on the severity of the accident, now may be the time to call emergency services.
Take photos from all sides of your car and the other car, and any other damage. This will help to prove your case and get the facts straight. If you can safely move your vehicle away from traffic, you should do so now.
Try to calm down and talk with the other driver, your passengers, and so on. The other driver might know something you don’t. Maybe they swerved to avoid a reckless driver you didn’t see, etc. You should try to have a clear idea of what happened, so that when emergency services arrive and they ask you and the other driver, you can discuss it with a level head, knowing both sides of the story.
As mentioned before, emotions run high after an accident. If you and the other driver are just too upset to talk just yet, avoid confrontation. Sit in your vehicle or wherever you can and wait for emergency services to arrive. If tensions flare after a traffic accident, a verbal altercation can escalate, and a minor accident can turn into an assault charge pretty quickly.