Every year there are more than six million car accidents, which means it’s likely you’ll witness one at some point in your life.
While common, seeing an auto accident is still unsettling and overwhelming. It can be difficult to remain calm and logical after such a high-emotion situation. But it’s important to make sure you follow certain steps immediately following the accident to keep everyone safe and to get everything you need for any needed repairs.
After an accident make sure to follow these five steps as quickly as possible!
Contents
1. Call First Responders
After making sure you’re in a safe place, like off to the side of the road, the first thing you should do after witnessing a car accident is to call in the first responders.
Even if you think you don’t need an ambulance, it’s important to call the police and let them assess the situation for the best outcome possible. They’ll be able to take the reins and allow you to focus on other areas.
2. Document Injuries
A crash can cause a car accident injuries that vary in severity to the people involved that. Each of those injuries needs to be fully documented for the insurance or any court cases that follow.
It’s important after an auto accident to see a doctor even if you can’t see any obvious injuries, just in case.
3. Collect Information
Everyone involved in the accident will need to exchange information with each other for insurance purposes. That mainly includes their contact information and policy numbers.
It’s also a good idea to get statements from any accident witness that can help explain the scenario to the insurance or police in the future. If anyone has an auto accident attorney, this is the time to get that information as well.
4. Take Photos
No matter how vivid we think we’ll be able to remember every detail, chances are that’s not what will happen. Taking pictures of the cars involved and the surrounding area can help paint the picture more accurately in the future.
Things change quickly, so take more pictures than you think are necessary to guarantee you get everything you need.
5. Make Insurance Claim
Once you know you and everyone else is safe and taken care of and things have calmed down a bit, you’ll want to make an insurance claim.
This will need to happen as soon as you can to help ensure that you’ll get the reimbursement and financial help you need to recover from the auto accident fully.
Steps After an Auto Accident
After you witness an auto accident everything can seem to slow down and it’s easy to forget everything you’re supposed to do. That’s why it’s good to be prepared ahead of time so you know what to do without hesitation.
The most important thing to do is make sure you and everyone around you are as safe as possible to avoid further injury or issues. Everything else can be handled later if necessary.
If you’re interested in learning more about cars and how they work, check out our other articles today!
