What to do if you are involved in a car accident

They can happen so quickly and often it can be hard to determine who is at fault.
Two drivers inspecting car damage after the traffic accident on the city road. Man calling road assistance or police

Sadly, no one plans to be in a car accident and yet many people are involved in their year in and year out. They can happen so quickly and often it can be hard to determine who is at fault. You may be going through shock, or you may be quite badly injured which can impair your decision-making skills. So, it is always useful to have a vague plan set in place just in case you are involved in an accident. Here are a few tips on what you can do if you are involved in a car accident

Contacting a lawyer

This is not something that needs to be done straightaway. However, keeping your lawyer up to date with everything that you are doing and what has happened can mean that should you need to go to court then you are prepared as are they. Speak to a lawyer before you are involved in an accident, and they may give you little bits of advice on how to conduct yourself like not accepting fault unless you are sure it was you. This is particularly important if your crash involved someone who was driving impaired. Though then it may be worth getting impaired driving lawyers to look at your case. 

In the immediate aftermath

Firstly, when involved in a crash, the first thing you should do is turn off the car as soon as you can. This is actually an offense if you do not do this. Next, you can switch on your hazards and start checking on the health of those involved in the incidents. If no one is badly hurt, then you can begin to exchange details. You should make sure to take lots of notes and photos in case you or the other driver needs to make a claim. The best piece of advice is to try and stay calm. Emotions will not help you in this situation.

What details should you share?

When you are exchanging details, you should try and get as much information as possible. This includes your name, their name, and anyone else involved in the accident. As well as this, you should swap insurance details and find out who owns the vehicle that was involved in the accident. Additionally, you should look at the make and model of the car and its numberplates. Make sure to note down the time and date of the crash and make sure to show the weather conditions and damages to vehicles in the photos that you take. The more detail the better.

Accidents

Being involved in an accident is a terrifying thing. However, there are lots of active and positive steps you can take to help you move past this incident, financially, emotionally, and physically. The important thing you need to do is make sure that no one is hurt. Everything else comes after this. Make sure to grab as much detail as possible and share that information with your lawyer, the police, and your insurance company.

Emily Muelford
Emily is a British writer whose love of car culture is augmented by a fascination with both the European and American automotive markets. Her perspective is uniquely fish and chips.