When a car accident happens, people often go into shock and experience a rush of adrenaline that makes their circumstances feel uncontrollable.
Unfortunately, many people do not follow the correct protocols for managing their car accidents and suffer physical, emotional, and financial consequences.
But this does not have to be the reality.
We’ve broken down what a person should do should they be in a car accident into four straightforward steps. Continue reading to learn more.
Call 911
The first and most important thing to do after a car accident is to call 911 for emergency assistance. Injuries may be obvious but not always, so prompt medical assessment is essential.
Some people who do not appear badly hurt will leave the vehicle and take pictures of the accident scene plus talk to the other driver and any potential witnesses.
However, it is best if you wait for the emergency medical team to confirm your injury status before attempting to do this. You will make a hidden injury like damage to your spine or neck worse.
The next essential thing you should do is to call a qualified personal injury attorney like Brian D. Guralnick Injury Lawyers.
Call a Qualified Personal Injury Lawyer
A qualified personal injury lawyer will handle your settlement with insurers and manage the compensation claim at a time when your focus quite rightly is on recovery rather than reliving your accident.
Traffic incidents are the most common type of personal injury accident in the US, according to data from the US Department of Justice. An experienced lawyer can guide you toward the right medical or surgical treatments to aid your recovery.
Last but not least, your lawyer will file a claim against the negligent parties and ensure your case is correctly managed, obtaining the best settlement possible so your medical needs are provided for, plus anything else like an income gap.
All this happens while you seek medical treatment and concentrate on getting better.
Seek Medical Treatment
After a car accident, your priority is your health and that of your passengers. The lawyers can look after everything else while you recover in the hospital or at home.
Get Information from Other Drivers
It is important to ensure you have the other driver’s details so your lawyer can follow up while recovering from your injuries. If there are witnesses, then capturing their personal information could be invaluable for your claim.
The right legal professional will ensure you have all the correct treatment and support. This includes therapy and counseling for ongoing emotional or mental trauma like PTSD, which often does not show up till later.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is perceived as a combat condition, but it can affect anyone who has been through a frightening or traumatic experience like a car accident.
Final Thoughts
While these four steps seem straightforward, they’re not in the heat of the moment. When you’re involved in a car accident, it is easy to forget what to do first, so engraining these four steps into your practice is essential to guarantee you are prepared.