When it comes to road accidents, there were 119,850 casualties of all severities in the ending June 2021 in the UK. This was a decrease of 28% from the three-year rolling year average between 2017 and 2019, which is great news from the perspective of road safety.
There’s no doubt that car accidents can be emotionally and physically damaging, both for you and any passengers who were in your vehicle at the time.
But what steps can you take you to safeguard your rights and wellbeing immediately after a collision. Let’s find out!
1. Coping in the Wake of a Collision
If you’re conscious and sentient immediately after a collision, your first call should be to take control of the vehicle (if it’s still functional) and move this to as safe a place as possible.
Then, be sure to turn off the engine and bring it to a complete stop, while switching on the hazard lights to alert other drivers and oncoming traffic of the collision.
At this stage, you’ll need to check on any passengers in your car to ensure that they’re safe, while also exiting the car (once again, if possible) to check on the wellbeing of other motorists.
At this stage, you may need to call an ambulance or the emergency services, including the police and an ambulance if necessary.
2. Talk to Any Other Motorists
During this period, you should also engage any other drivers who were involved in the collision.
The best protocol here is to make an initial note of your fellow drivers’ name, address and phone number, along with their car registration and insurance details.
Try to avoid admitting either full or partial fault at this juncture, however, as you may not have a full understanding of how the event unfolded or the condition (or actions) of your fellow drivers.
Ultimately, fault will be determined by a combination of the authorities, insurers and the courts, depending on whether or not you or a fellow driver raises a personal injury claim.
3. Gather Evidence and Speak to the Specialists
If you think another motorist was at fault and you’ve incurred an obvious injury, you may decide that pursuing a compensation claim is the best course of action.
In this case, you should also start gathering evidence to support a potential claim at the scene, ideally by liaising with eyewitnesses, taking first hand pictures of the scene and preserving any pertinent dashcam footage.
At this time, it’s also important to report the incident to your own insurers, in order to comply with the law and create a viable paper trail to support any compensation claim or future payout from an insurer.
Don’t forget to speak to a personal injury specialist immediately too, as this will help you to determine whether you have a viable case and ensure that your claim is raised within the necessary three year timeframe.
