What to Do If (and When) You Get in a Car Crash

An average of 2 million car accidents occur every year. If you are unlucky enough to get in a car crash, it’s important to know what to do. Here are some things you should know about car crashes so you can have an informed reaction when they happen:

Don’t immediately rush out of the car to check on the other person involved in the car crash unless there is immediate danger or harm being done. This is especially true if your car was the one that crashed into another car, tree, building or pole. You need to assess yourself for injuries before checking on others. If you are able-bodied, then it would be appropriate to remove yourself from the vehicle and ask someone else (passenger) to help with both parties involved in the accident.

Once you have checked yourself and made sure that you are not injured, then call the emergency line of your local area to report the car accident. Many car crashes require medical or police attention, so it’s best to get these professionals on the scene ASAP. In some cases, people flee from car accidents because they don’t know what to do with getting help at the scene (e.g., insurance issues). If this person has fled the car crash, then call 911 immediately because it is likely he/she needs immediate medical attention due to the car crash injuries without having someone there who can help him/her into a car or an ambulance. You should also be cautious if you see large crowds of people around car accidents because car accident mobs are not uncommon.

This may seem like common sense, but it’s important to exchange vehicle-related information with any car that was involved in a car crash with you. This includes your driver’s license info (or some form of government-issued ID), car insurance info, and car registration documents so the proper authorities can contact you in case they need more information on your side of what happened in the car wreck. If needed, ask someone else who isn’t involved in the car crash to do this for you while you wait for medical attention or police officers to arrive at the scene if necessary.

Even if you feel fine after the car accident occurred, it’s important to document any car crash details that you can remember. When, where, how it happened and maybe even other car-related information should be documented. This will help with any insurance issues or lawsuits that may come up in point 7 below. You want to have all the car crash facts on your side so don’t leave anything out when talking about what happened during the car wreck especially since brain injuries are serious and it’s easy to forget things once a traumatic mind injury has occurred from a car crash.

If your car has been damaged in the car accident, then call your car insurance company immediately to report it. Make sure that you have all car-related documents on hand to give to the car insurance agent so he/she can help determine if the car accident was your fault or someone else’s fault. If it is discovered that someone else caused the car wreck, then you should expect some type of claim for this person’s car damages or injuries they may have received because of your car crash.

Make sure it is a reputable, professional auto body shop where the technicians are all experienced and trained car accident repair specialists. You can find recommendations online or ask friends and family members who they recommend. Note: Even though most repairs for minor car accidents can be completed within a few days, major repairs might take several weeks depending on how extensive car damages are. Do not attempt to repair car damage yourself. Even something as simple as removing car dents or straightening car body panels can lead to further car damage and expensive car repairs down the line.

If you follow this car accident guide, you will be able to recover car damages, car repairs and car accident aftermath in a timely manner while being fully prepared for car accidents.