Even if it wasn’t much more than a bump, being in a car accident can come as a real shock. You may be left feeling overwhelmed, confused, and even disoriented in the moments following the accident, and feel unsure of exactly what you’re supposed to do next. If you’ve been in a car accident that’s left you conscious, relatively unharmed or only mildly injured, but feeling shaken, use this checklist to make sure you take the correct next steps.
- Assess your body for injuries. Take a moment to breathe and remain calm. This is the moment to check yourself over to make sure you haven’t suffered any major injuries that will need immediate medical attention. If you have been injured, your first step will, of course, be to call emergency services for urgent help. Once you’ve recovered, you should also get in touch with Matthew Glossop & Associates for support in ensuring that the necessary compensation for your injuries are fully covered, so you can focus on healing and recovering rather than stressing over finances.
- Keep your cool. If your car is in a bit of a state but your body is okay, it may be tempting to climb out of your car and immediately start screaming at the person who caused the accident, or to defend yourself if you may have been in the wrong. Instead, you should keep a level head so you can assess the situation for signs of danger or other injured drivers.
- Maintain road safety. A car accident can wreak havoc on the road for other drivers, particularly if it’s occurred during a busy hour on the road. Turn on your hazard lights so other drivers know to slow down as they approach, and, if possible, remove any dangerous large shards of glass or shrapnel from the road so that other drivers can move past safely without causing a significant delay.
- Stay on the scene. Regardless of how urgently you need to be somewhere or how angry your boss may be over your late arrival at work, it’s important to remain at the scene of the accident until the emergency services have arrived and all of the relevant insurance arrangements have been made. If you’ve experienced any form of injury, you should also stay put so you can be thoroughly assessed by the paramedics on the scene.
- Exchange information. Both drivers involved in the accident will need plenty of information in order to process insurance claims and follow through on any legal action if necessary. Make sure you get the other driver’s name, address, and phone number so you can get hold of them if you need to. You’ll also need the details of their car, including the make and model, registration number, and insurance information.
- Take note of the details. Record all of the details you have available about the car That includes the time, location and date of the accident, as well as everything you can remember about exactly what occurred. This can be difficult, but it’s important to remember as much as you can. Take photos of the aftermath of the accident and speak to any witnesses in the area who saw what happened.