Car accidents are scary, even when they’re minor ones. When you get into an accident, you might forget everything you had planned that day, but you want to remember to do everything you can to be safe, protect yourself, and make sure that everyone involved is safe. Of course, if you’re injured or trapped in your vehicle, you want to stay put.
Sometimes your accident will require more than just dealing with some minor medical costs and your insurance. When it comes to negligence, including drunk driving, you could spend some time in court (whether or not you were the one at fault). This could also mean contacting a lawyer as soon as you can.
Move Your Vehicle Off The Road
If you’ve been in an accident and you are able to move and don’t seem to be injured, try to get your vehicle out of the road. Vehicles obstructing the road could cause a pile-up. This may not be the very first thing you do, but it can be an important step in the process of dealing with the fact that you just had a wreck.
Call For Help
You definitely need to call 911, and this is usually going to be the very first thing you do. It can be super easy if you have On Star. There’s also a chance someone else may have seen the accident, or the other people involved already called. Better safe than sorry, though.
Check On The Other Driver(s)
If you’re able to safely exit your vehicle, go check on the other vehicle and make sure those people are okay. If they aren’t, you want to know so that you can direct help to them as soon as it arrives.
Swap Insurance Info
This seems kind of cliche, but you want to know that they have insurance, even though yours is going to cover you. Insurance always depends on where you live and what coverage you have. But if you have their insurance info, and their name and number, it can often make the process easier, nonetheless.
Take Photos
Make sure you get photos of the wreck and the damage done to both vehicles. This can come in handy when it comes to insurance. And, with everyone carrying around smartphones with cameras these days, it’s a really easy task.
Contact Your Insurance Company
Immediately contact your insurance company once you’re cleared to walk away from the accident. You need to file a claim so you can get the ball rolling on car repairs or a replacement.
Contact Your Lawyer
If you were drunk or under the influence of drugs, or you were texting and driving, you’re going to want to contact your lawyer or get one. If the other person was at fault for one of these reasons, you may still want to get a lawyer to make sure you’re fully compensated for any hardship due to the accident.