The possibility of getting into a car accident is something that nobody wants to think about, but the wise thing to do is to be prepared and take the necessary precautions. The next worst thing that no one wants to do is think about the worst-case scenario should such an event occur- but once again, it only makes sense to be prepared, no matter how disturbing it may be. So much so that we’ve gone a step further and did the thinking for you so that all you need to do is read and ensure that you’re prepared so that you can avoid the worst-case scenario should you get involved in a car accident.
Keep Your Seatbelt On Until You’re Sure it’s Safe
The first thing you want to do after getting involved in a car accident is to get out of the car. The first precaution you need to take regardless is to always make it a habit to put your seatbelt on when you enter the car. Don’t take this too lightly – this will literally save your life in many cases.
To avoid worst-case scenarios in the event that you get involved in a roll over or T bone accident, you need to wait to ensure that you are able to move and that nothing is broken before you remove the seatbelt. Otherwise, you’ll only make your condition worse. Keep in mind that when your body is in shock, you’re most likely not to feel any pain, even if you have broken anything, so give yourself a minute to really check on your condition or anyone else that might be with you in the car.
Get Out of the Car
When you’re involved in a more serious crash, there is always the likelihood of the car catching fire or exploding, and this is why after you’ve checked up on yourself, you need to get out of the car as soon as you can. It can be perplexing because, yes, you don’t want to remove the seatbelt immediately, but you also want to make sure that you don’t continue to sit in the car in case it does catch fire. So make sure that you try to calm yourself as much as you possibly can to be able to carry out these steps to avoid an even worse fate.
Call an Ambulance
To avoid an injury becoming worse than it already is, the first thing you do must be calling the authorities and get the ambulance in right away. This is imperative because if the damage is severe enough, one wrong move could cause you to make it ten times worse, and at times it can even prove to be fatal. Even though people around you may feel obliged to help, make sure that you or anyone else is removed from the car carefully and try your best not to move too much until the ambulance arrives.
Call Your Lawyer Immediately
As soon as you are able to get yourself together enough to fathom what’s going on and after calling the ambulance, it is an absolute must to call your lawyer immediately. You probably don’t know what comes next in terms of what’s going to happen, who’s to blame, and how much damage and compensation there will be. No one can really be sure of the kind of damage that is resulting from a car accident and having a seasoned lawyer that specializes in personal injury due to car accidents will be able not only to guide you but to take care of details that you’d certainly miss without them. Medical expenses and compensation, car insurance companies back and forth, all these things can go from bad to worse if you don’t have a good lawyer on call.
Try to Take a Record of As Many Details As Possible
It’s most probably going to be a chaotic scene, both in your head and around you. If you can possibly manage it at all, try your best to take photos of the scene, get information about the people involved, and try to understand how the damage occurred. After a car accident, especially a more severe one, things are bound to get tricky in terms of placing blame and may even go to court; and you need to be prepared.
Getting into an accident in itself is a nightmare as it is. But it is so important for you to prepare for worst-case scenarios so that you don’t get sucked into a situation where you find your health or your financial situation in jeopardy.
