Accidents are unfavourable and nobody wishes to be involved in one. Find out here what to do after a car accident that’s not your fault.
Moving from one place to another is an integral part of human existence and day to day activities. We move from the house to the store to get foodstuffs; from home to work, and even walking our dog to the park. These days, you do not need to be in a car to be involved in a car accident. A tired driver can suddenly sleep off on the wheel, the break of a car can fail and drive off the road and into a roadside gathering or a park.
Excluding minor car injuries, over 37,000 fatalities were recorded in the United States in 2017 alone. Even courteous and careful drivers could sometimes be victims of car accidents. Although we do not pray to be a victim of such, car accidents could leave a horrific experience on both the driver and the victim.
To be a drive safely, you must drive both consciously, courteously and defensively. Defensive driving might make little to no difference to other drivers, it could however safe you from being a victim of other’s recklessness.
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What To Do
Many of what you should do after an accident are the same either you are at fault or not
What you should do includes:
1. Stay At The Scene
Either you are at fault at an accident scene or not, you should stay at the accident scene until the police arrive. Fleeing an accident scene is an illegal thing to do. Even if the driver that is at fault makes it a hit-and-run by fleeing the accident scene, you must wait for the police to show up and also stay to gather the information that can be helpful both for you, the police and your insurance company.
2. Get Immediate Medical Attention / Help Other Victims
After an accident, you should remain calm and check for any injury, if you sustain any harm, seek immediate medical help. But if you’re not injured or sustained a non-severe injury, it is humane to check if the other drivers or passengers would require immediate medical attention. Being the victim should not make you inhumane.
Call an ambulance for the injured people/persons or perform the first aid if you know how to.
3. Gather Relevant Information
Although the accident is the other driver’s fault, after making sure of everyone’s safety, you must gather important information that might be helpful for yourself, your insurance company and the police.
You can collect information from the witnesses of the accidents, the other driver and other the passenger of both cars. Information to collect includes:
If you would like to have damages like your car repair (cover car door replacement cost and etc.) and medical bills covered, then you must take the details of the other driver and that of his insurance company.
4. Call The Police
If there are damages done to either you or the other driver’s car or any injury sustained from the accident, it might be important to notify the police should in case a situation arises that involves settling.
Although the police report might not be referenced in a civil court, it would, however, be of advantage when giving your version of the event. Many states require that you notify the police no matter how little or severe the accident may be.
You must notify the police if you estimate that the damages done may be up to $1000 or more. You should also get down the badge number of the police officer that appear at the scene.
5. Follow up
The police might not show up at the accident scene if the accident is not fatal or there are no serious injuries sustained from the accident. In such a case, you must file a report at the website of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Also, if you feel any pain after the accident or notice any unusual responses in your body, then you should visit your physician for a check-up.
6. Contact Your Insurance Company, Even If The Accident Wasn’t Your Fault
Although the accident is very not your fault, you must call and report the event to your insurance company. You might be partially at fault while thinking that you’re not at fault. Putting a call through to your insurance company can help you define the situation
Should in case the insurance company of the other driver refuses to take responsibility for the damages done, your insurance company knowing the accident might be helpful. It could help them determine if they would cover the damages, reach a settlement with the insurer of the other party involved or take quick legal actions against the other driver and his insurer.
Contacting your insurance company could also be very helpful if it turns out that the other driver does not have valid insurance.
7. Contact Your Attorney
You should contact a car crash attorney to help you evaluate the accident and propose good legal option(s) for you.
This might come in handy in situations where the matter is not easily resolved as it should or an agreement cannot be reached between both parties involved in the accident. Being legally prepared can save you money, pain and time.