Car accidents can happen anytime and anywhere on the road. We often see accidents happening from time to time and may have even been part of a car accident in the past. Some accidents are preventable by practicing safe driving and alertness on the road. Unfortunately, there are times when we may experience car accidents, sometimes even abruptly and during unexpected moments. It is important for drivers to know how to handle the situation when getting into car accidents.
Stop your Car
Once an accident happens, immediately stop your car and make sure you and the people around you are safe. If possible, turn off your engine and turn on the hazard lights to alert drivers approaching that there has been an accident in the area. After taking photos, consider moving the vehicles to the side and away from traffic if it is safe to do so.
The safety of you and the people affected by the accident should be your top priority. Stopping the car is important for you to observe your surroundings and come up with the next steps to handle the current situation. Do not flee the scene of the accident as this may lead to criminal charges.
Stay calm
When being involved in a car accident, it is important to maintain your composure when handling the situation. This allows you to think clearly and be able to do all the necessary steps when being involved in a car accident. Just breathe in and give yourself time to assess the situation at hand. It also prevents you from raging at the other people who may be involved in the car accident.
Call 911 if needed
If you or anyone is injured during a car accident, immediately request for help by calling 911 and requesting for an ambulance. Give them a breakdown of the situation and the location of the accident. If you are incapable of making the call during the accident, then attempt to call out the attention of someone who will be able to assist you with this.
It is also important to call the police if it appears that the damages to the vehicles involved reaches $2,000 or if you suspect that one of the driver’s involved has been driving under the influence.
Call the collision reporting centre
If there are no injuries that have occurred and the damages appear to be less than $2,000, you can call the collision reporting centre. The collision reporting centre is there to assist you with reporting car accidents. You may call (416) 745-3301 or visit www.accsupport.com to help you locate a collision reporting centre nearest to you.
Exchange information
If you were involved in an accident with another vehicle, make sure to exchange information with one another. Trade contact information by exchanging cellphone numbers and email addresses. It might be helpful to give the other driver’s number a call to test if the correct cellphone number was given.
You should also be exchanging driver’s licence details such as the class, the name of driver as printed in the licence, and the licence number.
Take into account the plate number of the other vehicles involved in the accident, the make and model of the vehicles, year, and the owner registered to it.
It will also be helpful if you are able to gather the insurance information of the other drivers involved such as the policy number, expiry date, and names of insured.
Lastly, ask the drivers involved if their vehicles are their own personal property or a company car.
Take photos
Take photos of the accident site. When taking these photos, make sure to include the areas of collision, the area the accident took place in, the plate number of the vehicles, and the appearances of all cars involved.
Write down details
After exchanging information and taking photos, write down all the crucial information that you have been able to collect from the car accident. This will be of utmost importance for the remaining steps to come. Having an accurate detailed account of the situation will help make the process easier. Include the date and time of the accident, the location of the accident, the estimated speed of the drivers, a diagram of where the accident occurred, weather and road conditions, and a description of the accident.
Contact your insurance company
Once you have gathered all the necessary information, call your insurance company to let them know everything you have gathered from the car accident.
Contact a lawyer
If you have experienced severe injuries from the car accident and wish to seek further support, you may contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your situation and discuss possible compensations to cover the costs of the injuries.
