Being in a car accident can be a daunting and emotional experience for everyone involved. It can impact your mental health and general well-being, and given the hefty bills that can follow, it can also damage your pocket. Here are 3 things you should do if you are involved in a car accident.
Check if you have any obvious injuries
When an accident occurs, your adrenaline levels are likely to skyrocket, so you may be unaware of how much damage has been done to your body.
If the accident was a minor bump rather than a full-on collision, give yourself a quick once over and make sure you feel stable before getting out of your car. Check your passengers are safe and well and exit your vehicle if and when you feel it’s safe to do so.
If the impact was severe and you or any passengers are feeling unwell or dizzy, or you think injuries could be life-threatening, signal for help and, if possible, call the authorities immediately and let them know your location. Not all injuries can be seen, so if there is any dubiety at all, you must get checked out by a medical professional.
Accidents involving other vehicles
There are more and more cars on the road these days and with that, the risk of an accident involving other vehicles increases. In fact, according to injury and accident lawyers, Lamber Goodnow, driving is probably the riskiest thing you do on any given day.
If your accident involved other drivers, take note of their license plate, name and address, and their insurance details and give them yours. If you feel that the situation may end in a dispute, find out if there were any witnesses and take their details too. If there is any dubiety as to who was at fault, take photographs of the scene – the positioning of vehicles involved can tell a lot about the events that took place and could also help when correlating against your recollection of events.
Contact your insurance
Extensive damage to a vehicle can cost a fair amount to remedy, so if the accident has resulted in more than a few scratches to your car, it’s a good idea to contact your insurance. They will record all the information you have given them and, if there was more than one vehicle involved, liaise with the other party’s insurance.
You will have to pay the excess that you agreed when taking out your policy, but more often than not your insurance will cover the remainder, which could save you thousands. If you do make an insurance claim, you will need to declare this when organizing car insurance in the future. Your premiums will usually go up as a result, so it’s a good idea only to claim if you know that it makes financial sense to do so. If the damage equates to a very small amount, it may be better to have it take care of privately.