There are specific actions you can take to protect your best interests after a collision. Once you take the necessary steps, you should contact a personal injury immediately afterwards. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes were the 11th leading cause of death in the United States in 2009.
In the same year, car accidents were the leading cause of death in children ages 4 through 11, and they were the leading cause of death for people ages 13 to 30 years old.
The NHTSA reports that in 2010, there were 30,196 fatal car accidents, slightly less than those reported for 2009 which were at 30,862 fatalities. Of course, those statistics represent the fatalities, it’s a known fact that every year millions more Americans are left with serious injuries after being involved in an auto accident. The odds of being in an auto accident are extremely high, and approximately 1 out of every 4 people will be involved in a car accident within their lifetime.
So, what do you do if you are involved in a car accident? First off, make sure you never leave the scene of an accident, this is often referred to as a hit and run or fleeing the scene of an accident. Even if there aren’t any bodily injuries, you face criminal charges if you ever flee the scene of an accident without stopping to exchange information with the other driver.
Check to make sure that nobody is hurt. You never know if someone was hurt in the accident, so your first and foremost concern should be checking for injuries. If there are any injuries, you must call 911 right away so they can send an ambulance. If someone was injured and you fail to call for help, it can mean the difference between life and death for the injured party. Next, if the vehicle is in a dangerous location, if you can, move the vehicle out of oncoming traffic. That way you can prevent any further accidents from occurring.
Once you have checked for injuries, it’s important to exchange information with the other driver. You want to exchange your name and phone number and insurance information. You also want to take down the other driver’s license plate number, and driver’s license information. Whatever you do, don’t admit guilt at the scene. You don’t necessarily know if you are guilty, and admitting guilt at the onset can highly complicate matters in the future as far as insurance is concerned. It’s also a good idea to get the name and phone numbers of any eyewitnesses, they may be needed to testify on your behalf in the future.
Call the police to the scene so you can file an accident report. Having a police report helps with the insurance claims process. The next and helpful step (if you can) is to document the scene of the accident. These days, most people have cell phones that have the capability of taking pictures and even sometimes recording. It’s a good idea to take pictures and possibly video of where the cars landed, any injuries sustained, and even other conditions such as road, weather and traffic conditions. All the above will help with determine who is at fault and it can speed up the claims process.
Seek medical attention right away if you sustained any injuries in the accident. After that, it’s critical that you contact a personal injury attorney immediately. Even if you didn’t sustain serious injuries, your vehicle will either need repair or replacing. These costs can quickly add up and the last thing you want to do is be taken advantage of by a low-balling insurance company.
It’s always a good idea to be prepared for an accident. The best way to be prepared is to have a notebook, pens and either a disposable camera or a cell phone with picture taking capabilities on you at all times.
Keeping the notebook, pens and disposable camera in the glove box are always a good idea in the event of an accident. You wouldn’t want to be involved in an accident and have no way of exchanging information with the other driver. A qualified attorney will be able to help you pursue financial compensation for any damages you might have incurred. What’s more, if you are involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist, your attorney can help you pursue compensation from your own insurance carrier as well.
