Sadly, accidents between motorized vehicles occur all of the time on city roads as well as outside the urban areas and it is impossible to plan for them or to avoid them in some situations that are not under your control. They often happen when you are off guard and not ready for them. Things like these, accidents seem to happen so quickly, and most of the times you will likely sink into shock or panic without any idea about what to do next. Even if you are somehow experienced with such situations and possibly well equipped with lawyers like skyview law in Kennewick, it can be easy to become lost and overwhelmed about what to do next. Here are a few tips on what to do after you have been involved in an accident.
Assess the situation
The very first thing you should do when you are involved in a car accident is to stop your car and turn the engine off. It is an offense to keep it going. Make sure to turn your hazard lights on and make sure that other road users can clearly see you have been involved in an accident.
You should then make sure that neither you, your passengers, or anyone else involved are injured. This is not the time to be concerned about your car. Though it should be mentioned that you should take note of whether anyone was injured in the accident at all either in your vehicle or the other. This may be useful later in the claim process. Then you should contact the emergency services seeking both medical assistance and the police.
Exchange your details
Emotions are likely running high after having been involved in a car accident and so it is important to remain calm. This is not the time to be annoyed with yourself or anyone else. You don’t want a confrontation with the other driver. Make sure at this point not to accept any liability or apologize and this will implicate you as being at fault.
You should speak to the other driver to exchange details. These should include the name, address, contact details, and insurance details of the other driver. You should also get the details of anyone who saw the accident or who was also involved. This can make things easier when you make a claim. Following this, you should also make note of the scene and anything that will have contributed to the accident such as the weather or the street conditions.
Calling your insurance company
Once you have made sure everyone is okay and made some cursory observations, you should contact your insurance who may be able to provide a breakdown pick up or exchange vehicle. It is important to have this on record as it will help you with your claim later. Your insurance needs to be contacted as soon as possible to help get your claim underway. It will help you deal with any unnecessary costs.
Accidents
Accidents can come out of the blue and wreck your car and even impact your life. It is important to stay calm and make sure that you and everyone else are involved. Then you can start thinking about your claim to your insurance. Just make sure to take lots of evidence to your claims like photos and contact details.
