What to do When Involved in a Car Accident

The last thing anyone expects when they climb into their car is to have a collision with another vehicle. For one reason or another, it happens anyways, whether it is your fault, or the fault of another driver. Of course, the only way to avoid a car accident altogether is to not drive at all. But Arizona is a vast place, and walking everywhere is not very practical. So what do you do when you get involved in a car accident? There are plenty of ways to go about the situation, so here are some tips to deal with it.

Getting into a car accident is alarming and frightening, there’s no doubt about that. When you have collided with another person, your first thought will most likely be to assess the damage done to yourself and those in the vehicle with you. But what should you do. First, you should shut your car off. This seems like an obvious step to take, but a lot of others fail to do so. Once the car is turned off, you should leave it in place. When police and emergency responders show up, they will want to investigate the area to get a clear picture of what happened and why the collision initially occurred. Make sure it is not in danger of being harmed any further than it already is. If it is able to run, and you are able to drive, park it in a safe place and wait for the emergency responders.

The next thing you should do is to make sure to keep calm. A lot of people have road rage, and you may have it too, but it is important to keep your anger at bay. The fault of the accident could rest with you, or the other person involved, but losing your temper with the situation will do more harm than good. Your adrenaline may also be pumping into your system, so making sure to try and breathe and calm yourself down from the fright of colliding with another vehicle is vital to making it through the situation.

Once you are calmed down and in a safe area, assess the damage to yourself. If you have not moved from the original spot of collision and you are staying put inside your car, this is probably a good idea. If you have assessed yourself and have felt that your injuries are more extensive than a few scrapes and bruises, then sitting still and staying seated in your car is very important. Moving yourself and taking matters into your own hands can only mean worse complications in the future. Unless sitting still in your car is life threatening and you need to move immediately, just stay put and try to catalogue the injuries you have sustained.

If you are fine and have walked away unharmed and it is safe for you to move, you can make sure others are okay, but do not help them unless your are professionally and medically trained. You may watch that weekly episode of Grey’s Anatomy, but you are no doctor. You may think you know what has to be done, but for all you know, you could end up hurting the person worse than they already are. So do the minimal amount when tending to others unless you are a trained professional.

If everyone is okay and injuries are minor, it is probably a good idea to assess the damage that has been done to your car. But when you are inspecting the area, you should never walk between two cars, as you could get pinned between them if another of the cars gets hit. Tread carefully and safely so that no further injuries occur. As always, you should call 911 immediately. If someone has not already reported the accident, you should call and relay all the information to the 911 responder so that they can let the necessary outlets know.

Two men got into a car accident in chandler, Arizona When the policemen, firemen, and medical personnel arrive, the police will usually take care of everything. But it’s always a good idea to get insurance information from the other driver or drivers involved in the collision. Get their names, addresses, and phone numbers for future reference, as well as their license plate number and give them the same information as well. This will make the process of repairing the body of your car in Chandler and dealing with your insurance much easier. The police sometimes handle this as well, but you should always get copies.

If you have been in a collision and your vehicle is badly damaged, Excel Collision can help with your vehicle’s body repairs in Chandler. Get professional body work with Excel Collision and we will make sure that everything is taken care of and your car is restored to its proper state. For more information, contact us today.

Published By:

Excel Collision and Glass Centers – Tim Stone