Being involved in a car crash is always upsetting. Statistics show that most car crashes happen during either the morning or the evening commuter rush hours, meaning that your car crash is likely to be either first thing in the morning or after a full day at work – two times of the day in which none of us are in the mood for dealing with an emergency.
There are many types of car crashes. For example, there’s a difference between wet reckless and reckless driving – both of which can end badly. But what you need to know is what to do if you’re affected. Let’s find out…
Report the accident
In most countries, car accidents that involve injury or damage to property or vehicles must be reported to the police. In any case, if injuries are involved, you will likely need to call for the assistance of the emergency services, which will necessarily mean the dispatcher will arrange for all necessary first responders to attend the scene (including police).
Exchange details with other drivers involved in the crash
You need to know the contact details of any other drivers involved in the accident. This is because your claim for personal injury compensation will most likely be processed on the basis of establishing negligence against the other side. If you are involved in a hit and run, always speak to a lawyer, as there are certain legal mechanisms that may still be able to help you.
Take 3 different types of photos
Something that many people don’t realise is that when you have been involved in a car crash, you may be in the middle of a developing legal scene – for example, the other driver responsible for having caused the accident might be intoxicated, or their vehicle may have been in a state of disrepair before setting out. Whatever the case, you need evidence of what’s just happened to support your claim for personal injury compensation. This means you should ideally take three different types of photos.
First of all, you need pictures of any injuries. As part of your claim, you may need to undergo a medical examination. Where you have pictures to back up your claim that your physical injury is directly related to your crash, your case will be strengthened. Next, you need photos of the damage to your vehicle. Finally, try to take a wider angle shot that will show things like the time of day and weather conditions (you may need to think about upgrading your phone if your camera is poor).
Speak to anybody who saw what happened
You may find that eyewitness testimony is not called upon for simple dinks and scrapes. In much bigger cases involving a dispute over the actions of certain drivers (i.e. a multi-car incident where negligence is denied by all parties), eyewitness testimony may be able to help support your case. In instances like these, it is important to speak to anybody who may have seen the crash and gather their contact details. Otherwise, once they have left the scene, you might not have the opportunity to speak to them again.
