Car and road accidents remain one of the vicious causes of death in our time around the globe. In Australia, the road accident statistics are not any different, especially since an average of about 3 people die per day through road accidents. Although the average number of such road accidents has reduced a bit over the years, road accidents remain a major cause of concern in Australia. It is, therefore, highly probable that you may get involved in a road accident in one way or another.
After involvement in a road accident, the actions you take are highly important. Whereas the law is not comprehensive and systematic in terms of the set of measures that you should take after an accident, there are unwritten rules of etiquette and ethics which defines various critical measures you should endeavor to follow. Adherence to such steps will determine whether you will have a chance to resolve the case amicably and in accordance with the law or not. Here are 7 important steps to take after getting involved in a car crash.
Stay at the scene of the accident
The first important step to take after being involved in an accident is to endeavor to remain at the scene. Most people, after being involved in a crash, react under pressure and seek to immediately flee; either in a hurry or seeking to evade the police. In most jurisdictions, including Australia, fleeing a road accident scene after being involved is considered a deviant act. Cases of hit and run are prosecuted as instances of obstructing justice and may lead to severe punishment, including jail terms and heavy fines.
Check yourself and third parties
The second important step to take after being involved in an accident is to immediately undertake a self-assessment for physical injuries. Injuries common after an accident are normally as a result of getting bashed inside the car and being slammed and tossed around. This can often result in external and internal injuries. When assessing yourself for such injuries, it is important to pay attention to pain and bruises.
If critically injured, you should endeavor to stay immobilized and shout for help. If not critically injured and can move around, you should then move to assess your passengers on whether they are injured. Any serious injuries should prompt you to call for immediate help from other motorists for emergency medication to be sought.
Call in the police
The third important action involves calling-in the police at the scene of the accident. You may do so by calling the police hotline numbers or even notifying any person who may, in turn, contact the police. Critical information that should be disseminated to the police in relation to the accident includes the location of the accident in terms of the road or street name as well as any other relevant information such as the need for ambulances to be dispatched. This ensures that critical help is availed in the precious few seconds after the accident.
Take photos and any other relevant evidence
While waiting for the police, it is important to move in and gather critical evidence that may help resolve the case. Police normally make their decision on who is at fault in the aftermath of an accident depending on the relative location of the vehicles on the road and whether any of the parties involved in the accident contravened traffic laws. Taking photos of the vehicles involved in the accident in terms of their relative position helps preserve the evidence in the event that the wrecks are towed away before the police arrive.
Additional evidence that can be secured includes obtaining webcam footage from your vehicle in the event that the accident was captured. You should also take photos of the extent of damage caused by the accident on your vehicle as well as the other vehicle. Such photos prove critical when helping insurance companies assess the extent of damage and thereby processing the reimbursements.
Notify your insurer
The next important step involves informing your insurer that you have been involved in an accident and that you are awaiting the police’s verdict. You should also inform your insurer of any other critical and essential information such as whether there have been any fatalities or serious injuries in both vehicles.
Other additional information that should be disseminated to the insurers includes details of the insurer of the other car involved in the accident. This helps to set in place the chain of events that lead to timely insurance payments that may come in handy in helping you recover from the trauma suffered. When notifying your insurer, it is important to never assume liability for the accident even when you think you are at fault. Determination of liability from an accident is normally done by the police upon proper evaluation of the accident scene and collection of the relevant evidence.
Notify your lawyer
Car accident lawyers normally come in handy in helping you handle any matters that may arise after the occurrence of the accident. Notifying professional and experienced Murphy’s Law car crash Brisbane helps ensure that issues such as insurers failing to disseminate insurance compensation are amicably and timely resolved in court.
Other instances where qualified car crash lawyers come in handy include cases where you are falsely implicated as having been liable for the accident, or even instances where the insurance company of the person found culpable for causing the accident fails to remit payment accordingly. In such cases, the lawyers help in filing and following up on court cases, something that generally expedites settlements.
Engage in a positive talk with the other party
Car accidents are sometimes inevitable and should not necessarily be blamed upon individual drivers. In most cases, the accident scene may be too overwhelming and cause you to flare with emotions, thereby tempting you to quarrel with the other driver. You should endeavor to always avoid such quarrels as they do not offer any solution in helping both parties settle the matter. Whereas there may be unbearable losses suffered from the accident, you should always ensure you maintain a positive and good talk with the other driver with whom you were involved in the accident. Being cordial, polite, and cooperative is critical in maintaining a friendship even after the accident.
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