Accidents. Saftey Tips, and what to do after an accident!

[NY detailer]

It does not matter if you are from NY or Florida, no matter where you are you can get into a car accident. Knowing what to do after a car accident can be life saving and very helpful down the road.

The most important thing to do is try to advoid all accidents without causing one. Stay alert while driving, if your tired pull over and rest! Driving tired has the same reaction time as driving drunk you are putting yourself and others at risk.

Always were your seatbelt!! Most of the people on autopia are pretty young, so don't waste your life not wearing a seatbelt. You like cleaning cars now, without wearing your seatbelt you may never clean a car again. If you do not have your seatbelt on during a front impact collision, your body will move foward at the same time the airbag deploys, so now not only did you have a impact with the other car, but now you also have a impact with the airbag. When your face hits that airbag, the airbag will burn your face with possible 3rd degree burns and it will not feel like a pillow.

Ok, so now you tried everything to advoid the accident but you couldn't and crashed into another car, what should you do?

1. Look around at the situation. Are you injured? Are you bleeding? Is everyone in your car Ok? Do you need to exit the car? If possible check the other car for the above as well.
*never move anyone that has been in a accident unless it is necessary for them to get out of the vehicle, moving someone can cause more injury to them. let the police or ems do the moving.

2. Call the police & ems
explain to them the situation and how many people are at the scene. If you don't tell them this info they may only send one EMS truck for 9 people. Be exact with your info and this can save time.

3. If you are fine and have no injuries, start to write down the facts of loss on paper. Write down what direction you were going and on what street. Where the other person was coming from and what street. Take all the info on the other vehicle as well, plate #, vin # and description of the damage.
I suggest that everyone carries a camera in the glove box, you can take pictures at the scene that can really help your claim later on and can prevent insurance fraud. Take pictures of your car and the other persons car. Try to take a complete overview shot showing how the accident happened. By doing all the above you will be able to show your insurance company exactly what happened and help your claim.


remember to stay calm after the accident!

Here is a list of items that can be very helpful in case of an accident:
1. cell phone - to call police & ems
2. first aid kit - you may need to use until ems shows up
3. camera- take pix of the area and cars involved.
4. flares- let other cars see you. If possible get a saftey strobe light which will last longer.
5. pen & paper- take notes down and info on the other car.

Hope this helps someone on autopia
NYD

[samiam513]

nice writeup!

always have camera is right! my bro go in an accident, and a man driving mext to him said my brothers car came over and hit his, but left no dmanage. Moving at 55 down a highway, it will leave damage. The man wanted his car "checked out" by our insurance company. Becasue of the pictures, he was caught!

[Intel486]

Very informative.

I've actually started to carry a cheap disposable camera in my glove compartment just incase something ever happens.

I think you should also add pepper spray. If you hit someone and they get pissed and attack you for it, then you'll need it. I'm not talking about some major accident but a small fender bender. Something that'll could set someone off.

[cvcaelen]

A couple of months ago in our local Mall there was a "first-aid after an accident box" for sale
The contents were : one-use camera , notebook & pencil , markers for marking where the cars were on the road (for in case the cars must be moved fast for not blocking traffic) a couple of flares and a little book with first-aid for emergency treatment on injuried persons.
Box was sold-oud before I got to the store

Advice for those not involved in the accident:
- if you SAW it happen: leave name and adress :an eyewittnes is verry usefull
-if you didn't see it happen : move away from the scene and let Paramedics , Police , Firecrew , Towaways and whatsoever do their job


Hope I never again am in this situation (this brings back lot's of unpleasant memories , but that's another threat )

[PrinzII]

If you are not involved in the accident, give the cops and EMTs room to work. It's tough enough for EMTs to deal with the injured parties in an accident without having to worry about spectators getting injured as well.

If you are driving past the accident scene, make sure you give these folks as much space as possible. We have had notable incidents where cops, EMTs, and fire department personnel have been injured and/or killed because a driver refused to yield the right of way to emergency personnel working the scene of an accident.

There is a law in IL called "Scott's Law" named after a Chicago firefighter who got killed while working the scene of an accident.
This law and another law in IN provide stiff penalties for drivers involved in an accident where failure to yield to emergency vehicles is involved.

[Jake11375]

Another good idea would be to invest in pre-paid legal services. This usually runs about $25 per month. If an officer tries to ticket you at the scene of an accident, just flash your card and they will usually back off if the accident is questionable. This also comes in handy for general speeding tickets and such. You can research this on the web. Just type in pre-paid legal and you'll get a lot of results from various companies offering these types of services. Just my 2 cents.

[Lowejackson]

Never, ever say sorry or admit it was your fault; you may seriously regret it later on. Don’t discuss what happened leading up to the event, just say it is a job for the insurance companies. I agree with the others, check for the well-being of people first then worry about cars and other less important stuff.

A cheap camera is a great idea.

Steven

[rightlane]

Names and phone numbers are useless and as soon as the cars are moved from the street the story changes. Get numbers, driver's license numbers, plate numbers, VIN. You have to be able to ID the driver are no ticket. So what no ticket! The police are often prohibited from taking sides in a civil matter therefore the only investigation will be the traffic violation. The faster you start taking information the better you will be able to protect yourself. Please get the witness information. This infor may not help the police as much as your insurance company in case of a lawsuit.

good luck