It’s never a nice thought to begin preparing for such accidents, but they do happen, and as such, it makes a lot of sense to be in the best state of mind possible for that eventuality. You need to know the next steps if you are ever unlucky enough to find yourself in a car accident.
If you are proficient in taking the right steps immediately after an accident, you will stop a bad situation from getting worse. You will also make it so that if either party decides to make a claim, they are going to be able to without a problem, and the whole process will be as streamlined and straightforward as possible.
Stop
Regardless of how minor the accident is, the first thing that you need to do is stop. In fact, if you fail to stop after an accident, this actually goes against many different rules of the road. You should turn off your vehicle’s engine, turn on the hazards, and alert other drivers of your presence on the road.
Consider Who You Need to Call
You will need to look around at the scene and work out if you need to call anybody and who that person is. If anyone has been injured in the collision, then you should contact 911. Medical professionals will be able to look after the injured person and then, following treatment, will be able to direct them towards law firms such as Horst Shewmaker, who will be able to help them pursue a personal injury claim.
The police should also be contacted if your vehicles are blocking the road or if you feel like foul play was involved in the incident. Also, call them if you suspect that you are potentially a victim of a crash for cash scam, for example, which is where scammers will deliberately drive into you so that they are able to make a bogus insurance claim.
You should consider investing in a dashcam too, as they will stop you from falling victim to such scams. They will capture footage on how you and the other party were driving, meaning any false insurance claim made can be easily rectified.
Exchange Details
The final step that you are going to need to do is exchange your details with the other driver involved in the crash. You should ask them for their insurance details, their name and even get their registration number. Try to establish whether or not they are the registered keeper of the vehicle and if they aren’t, then find out who is so that you can make a note of their name. You should also try and get an address if they are happy to give it to you, but if not, this will be obtained easily enough from the insurance company using the other details that you have managed to obtain. You should always remain calm and polite when asking for this information to avoid any kind of confrontation.
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