Being in a car accident is something most people try to avoid, yet it’s something many of us will experience at least once in our lives. Whether you are in a serious accident or simply a bumper bash, there are certain steps you need to take if you have been in a car accident.
Of course, you may not necessarily know what these steps are, which is why we’ve put together a list of steps that you need to take after a car accident so that you are prepared in case you ever find yourself in this situation.
Get legal assistance
Regardless of how the accident occurred or whose fault it was, you should consider getting in touch with a lawyer so that they can advise you on any legal action you may need to take, as well as steps you need to take to legally protect yourself. For example, someone may try to take legal action against you if they believe that you caused the accident.
And of course, if you believe someone else was responsible for the accident, you may have grounds for legal action as well. If possible, try to get a lawyer who specializes in car accidents to help you, like this accident lawyer in West Virginia.
File a police report
Even if the accident wasn’t serious, you should file a police report. This is because, if either party does decide to take further action later down the road, there has to be a record of what happened.
Ideally, you should file the report and give your statement to the police as soon as possible, while everything is still fresh in your memory. However, if you were seriously injured, this part may need to wait. Of course, even if you don’t have any severe injuries from the accident, you may still be in shock, so you might also need some time to recover from that.
If the accident happened in Ohio, you can later access the OH traffic accident police report online with some of the incident’s basic information, such as the ZIP code, date, and the car’s VIN.
Gather evidence
You may panic if you are in an accident, but remember that you always need to stop at the scene. The same goes for the other party – although, they may try to drive away from the scene, in which case you should try to get their license plate or any other details about their car that can help the police track them.
The reason why you need to stop at the scene of an accident is because you need to exchange contact details with anyone else involved. You should also get the details of any witnesses, in case their statements are needed. Having evidence of the accident can be very important, so you should also try to get some photos of the accident scene as well as close-ups of any damage to your car and injuries you may have obtained.
See a medical professional
If you were seriously injured in the accident, such as if you broke a bone or you have a concussion, you should of course go to a hospital to get checked out.
That being said, even if you feel entirely fine and have no visible injuries, you should still see a medical professional, since some injuries may not be immediately evident, so you need to get the all-clear from your doctor before you go home.
Get in touch with your insurance provider
Of course, the most important thing to do is to seek medical attention – everything else can wait. That being said, you should get in touch with your insurance provider as soon as possible.
You will likely need to inform your car insurance provider of the accident so that they can start with the claims process. The longer you wait, the longer it will take for your car to be repaired. And of course, you should also get in touch with your medical insurance company if you have any big health bills that need to be paid. Having insurance is very important, and if you are ever in a car accident, you will be grateful that you have it.
In conclusion
Hopefully, you will never be in a car accident. However, if you do ever find yourself in this position, we hope that this post gave you some helpful tips for which steps you should take.
Being involved in a car accident can be a very overwhelming experience, and many people find that they don’t know where to start or what to do. While every situation will be different, this post will hopefully be able to guide you in the right direction so that you know what to do first.
