If you’re ever injured in an automobile accident, it’s important to know what happens next. Car accidents are all too common, and there’s a good chance you’ll have to face one at some point in your life, although not every accident is serious. Even mild injuries, however, deserve the care outlined below.
If you want to take the best care of your family and yourself, follow these steps after you experience an accident. It’s important that you make the right moves, in the right time frame, in order to achieve the best possible experience.
Your accident doesn’t have to debilitate your life. Instead, seek the proper help.
Immediately After: Unless you or the other driver sustained serious injuries, you’ll both need to pull over and settle the accident. Get to a safe place if you can. Drive slowly and stay in sight of the other driver. A nearby parking lot is usually a good place to pull over and resolve what happened. You’ll both need to assess the damage.
Take a minute before consulting with the other driver to calm down and make sure you’re okay. High emotions and an adrenaline rush are normal after an accident, and you may feel shaky and foggy brained. Once you’re ready to talk to the other driver, you can gather each other’s information for insurance claims.
The Same Day: Even if you don’t feel injured, you should make an appointment to see your doctor or a chiropractor the same day as the accident. You may have obviously sustained injuries, even life threatening ones. If your injuries are severe, then the day of the accident, your immediate medical needs will be taken care of. If you’re well enough to make some phone calls, let your family know what happened and where you are.
Otherwise, the hospital will do it for you.
The Same Week: After you’ve received medical attention, you’ll want to devote the next few days to taking care of details. Your car will need to be repaired. The insurance companies will need to be notified. If your injuries were serious, you’ll need to schedule physical therapy appointments, or even surgeries.
Don’t be afraid to rely on the help of a spouse or friend to make these appointments for you. In the week following your accident, you should also contact a lawyer. You can receive financial compensation, even if the accident was your fault, under the care of a good personal injury lawyer Surrey.
The Same Month: Especially if your accident was more severe, you’ll spend the next month or more recovering. You may need surgery, massage therapy, or chiropractic visits. All your expenses can be covered by the assistance of a lawyer, so don’t hesitate to enlist their expertise.
Whether you reach for your financial compensation or not, expect to need a myriad of help after your accident. Life-threatening accidents can even cause PTSD, and you should consider seeing a therapist as well, if you have any lingering fears of driving.