If you have been unlucky enough to be involved in a car accident, you will know that there are lots of steps you need to take. It can be a massive pain to sort especially if you don’t know what you are doing. You may need to contact lawyers like Lamber Goodnow. There are several steps that you can take to help you deal with the situation quickly and smoothly.
It is not a nice thought, but car accidents happen all of the time. It is important to know what to do if you are caught up in one. If you take the right steps immediately after the motor accident, you can stop the situation from getting worse. This will help you to ensure that your insurance claim is paid out without any problems.
What do you do immediately after a problem?
When you are involved in a car accident then you need to stop the car immediately. It is an offense to not do so. You need to switch off the engine and turn on the hazard lights so that other drivers know there has been a problem. After this, you need to check for any injuries to yourself or any passengers that you have. Make sure that everyone is okay and that no one requires an ambulance or any emergency services.
Once everyone is okay, then you need to call the police if they are required. They are usually needed for larger accidents. This is the time to get and give details to anyone who has been involved in the accident. You can collect details from any other drivers, passengers, and witnesses. This is incredibly important especially if you are going to claim on your insurance. You should take as many photos as possible of the damages and conditions. Once you have all of your details in the order you can contact your insurer.
Who to contact after an accident?
After the accident, you need to make sure that no one has been injured and if they have then you can contact the emergency services. The police need to be called especially if the car accident is blocking the road or if you feel foul play was involved. If you suspect you were a victim of a crash for a cash scam for example. This is where a driver deliberately causes an accident to make a fraudulent claim.
One thing that can help you avoid this is to purchase a dashcam. These will record the event that takes place from your point of view and provide unquestionable evidence for your claim. Be sure to pick the right one so that you have a good quality piece of footage to take to the claims court.
Giving Details for the car accident
When you are involved in a car accident then you are obliged to give your name and address to anyone else involved. You should stop and give your details if you crash into something on or near the road even if other people are not involved. If you hit a parked car for instance, then you should leave your details on the windscreen.
Something that you should keep in mind is that you should avoid saying sorry or accepting any blame for the accident until you know precisely what happened. Car accidents should also be reported to the police within 24 hours. Failure to do so can result in a fine, penalty points, or losing your license.
Collecting information
When you are collecting information from other drivers you should collect their names, addresses, and contact details. You should do this for passengers and witnesses. You need to get the other drivers involved in car insurance details and establish if they are the registered keeper of the vehicle. If they aren’t then make a note of the owner’s name and address.
You should also make a note of the registration numbers of the vehicles involved as well as the color make and model. The time and date of the crash and a description of the weather conditions. This should include any unusual things you notice about the road quality.
Motor accidents
This is a major inconvenience for everyone involved but car accidents do happen and so you should be aware of how to deal with them. You need to make sure that everyone is okay and that you do not present a hazard to any other drivers. After that, it is a case of gathering as much detail as possible from the accident to help your claim. Your insurance and a personal injury lawyer should be able to help you get through this.