No matter how careful you are on the road, there’s always the chance that you might end up in a car accident. It’s a scary situation to be in but it’s a whole lot worse if you don’t deal with it in the right way. There are certain steps that you need to take in the immediate aftermath of an accident like contacting the emergency and documenting the damage to the car and to yourself if you’ve been injured. It’s important that you remember all of that stuff but it’s also equally important that you know the things that you absolutely shouldn’t do. These are the biggest mistakes that people make following a car accident.
Leave The Scene
If you’re involved in a big crash, you won’t have the option of driving away and you’ll have to wait until the emergency services arrive. But a lot of people think that if you’re in a small scrape and the cars aren’t damaged too badly, you can just drive on. What people don’t realize is that, no matter how small the accident, you have a legal obligation to stop and exchange insurance information with the other driver before reporting the accident to the authorities. If you just drive away, you’re committing a crime.
Don't Call the Police
It’s also important that you get in touch with the police to cover your own back. If you make an agreement with the other driver and exchange insurance details, you can’t guarantee that they’re being genuine. They might not have insurance and you may have to get the authorities involved. You probably won’t get very far if you never reported the accident in the first place.
Admit Fault
Admitting fault at the scene of an accident could be used against you if the other driver tries to make a claim. Even something simple like holding your hands up and saying “I’m so sorry” may be seen as an admission.
Car accidents are extremely complicated and placing fault can be much harder than you think. As detailed on Accident.com there are many types of negligence that dictate responsibility following an incident. In short, it means that some drivers may initially seem at fault for an accident, but other conditions could mean they were innocent. To give yourself the best possible chance of avoiding any legal issues after an accident, don’t admit fault!
Don't Seek Medical Attention
Hopefully you are able to walk away from the accident but even though you might FEEL well, chances are there may be problems that need to be checked out. For instance, adrenaline might hide a headache or joint pain caused by injury or you might even have a cracked tooth. There might even be soft tissue damage or a bruise that is hiding a chipped bone. If you wait hours or days till after the accident to have these documents then it will be more difficult to prove that it was caused by the accident.
Don't Claim Compensation
If you’re in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you’re probably entitled to some compensation. That can be a big help in this situation, especially if you get injured and you have to take time off work. It’s important that you get in touch with an experienced car accident lawyer and explain your situation to them. They’ll be able to tell you if you’ve got a case or not. It’s also important that you take a lot of photographs of the damage and any injuries that you’ve got right away, they’ll help your case later on.
Get Angry
Tensions are likely to be running high in the aftermath of an accident and it’s easy for you to start throwing around blame, especially if it was the other drivers fault. But you’ve got to remember that the accident has already happened and you’ll sort out who’s fault it is later on. Shouting at somebody isn’t going to turn back time and stop the accident from happening, it’s just going to make the whole situation a lot worse. You need to stay calm and ask them whether they’re ok and if they’ve got any injuries or not. Then calmly call the police and start exchanging insurance details with them. You can discuss who’s fault it is further down the line when you start claiming on your insurance and inquiring about compensation.
If you can avoid making these mistakes in the aftermath of a car accident, the outcome will be a lot better.
