Being in a road accident can cause people to be gripped by fear and hence, lose their objectivity and capacity to make rational decisions quickly. This is understandable, which is also the reason why we have a list of steps you are to constantly keep in mind when behind the wheel… from the best car accident lawyer in Kansas City to you.
Steps You Should NOT Forget When In A Car Accident
- Check For Injuries And Call For Medical Attention IMMEDIATELY
We are going to stress this further by telling you that immediacy is the course of action that should NOT be forgotten.
Accidents cause the brain to go through a delayed trauma, more so if the impact is strong. A lack of rational thinking during such tragedies may be attributable to this cognitive occurrence. A “neuro alert” often transpires, along with a sudden burst of adrenaline. But these can be muted by delayed trauma as aforementioned, and/or injury severity.
Regardless of these variables, push yourself to check for injuries on yourself and your passengers. WITHOUT delay. In addition to this, call for medical help as soon as you can. This is not only about getting your injuries looked into promptly. It is about later pleading your plight that you had no intention to worsen your injuries and thus file for a higher claim. Something that respondents of such claims usually harper on, in opposition to claimants.
- Documentation Is VITAL
This may seem contradictory to the events within the moment of a road accident. But think of this as solidifying evidence of the same, which will stand pivotal in supporting your claim. And the lack of it may mean bringing your claim to null.
Do what you can to take photos and videos of the scene of the accident. It will be to your advantage to have the settings of your phone record the time and date of recordings you make on it (a tip you should check in advance, prior to heading for the road).
Have the other passengers in your vehicles do the same, especially the ones who are not severely injured, if at all, for additional and/or supplementary copies.
- Information-Exchange With The Driver And/Or Passengers Of The Other Vehicle
Whether to avoid potentially dealing with respondents who are not willing to face you when you stake your claim or to simply have a means of contacting them regarding the accident, exchange information with them.
The persons in the other vehicle need to be held accountable for any wrongdoing they may have committed, leading to the accident.
Getting hold of their personal information and contact details, though crucial to the claim, is also a means of indirectly keeping them aware and ready for a car accident claim you are to hand over, subsequently.
- Contact The Police And WAIT
Besides seeking medical attention, contacting the police should be on the same level, on the same page. Contact the local police department within the area and wait. Their urgent presence is further security, both physically, and later on, in documentation, of the legality and validity of your car accident claim.
- Do NOT Attempt To Move The Vehicles, Even If They Are In The Way Of Traffic
This one is a frequent error of both the injured party and the proprietor of the accident. Moving the vehicles, whether out of pressure if the automobiles are in the middle of traffic, or simply out of convenience, is a “no.”
This is a huge mistake that will have enormous repercussions on the scene of the accident, and ultimately, on your claim. It is equivalent to tampering with evidence. In relation to number 4, WAIT for the law enforcement officers to arrive. Only after their inspection, and after they have given you the go signal to move the vehicles, should you follow suit.
