Steps to take after being involved in a road accident
Road traffic accidents can be extremely serious, life-changing events. Minimising the damage, and ensuring the best outcome for everyone involved, often means thinking in advance about how you’ll react.
This will ensure that everyone gets the treatment they need, as quickly as possible, and that further damage is avoided. The action you take might also be crucial when you come to seek a legal remedy, later on.
So, what steps should you take in the aftermath of a collision apart from seeking the assistance of the New Jersey hit and run accident lawyers? Let’s take a look.
Ensure safety and call for help
To begin with, you need to stop the vehicle. If you don’t, then you could be breaking the law. Switch on your hazard lights, and establish the extent of any injuries. Even if the injuries appear minor, it’s a good idea to seek medical assistance. Report the crash with 999. If there are any pieces of broken glass or other objects on the road, then reporting is what will allow for it to be cleared up. Don’t leave the crash scene until it’s safe and legal.
Avoid smoking near damaged vehicles, and be alert to other physical dangers, like oncoming traffic. Don’t leave the engine running on a damaged vehicle, and make sure that the handbrake is applied.
Exchange information with other parties
You’ll need to swap your personal details with the other parties to the accident. This includes names, addresses, insurance details, and registration numbers. Taking a photo of one another’s driving licenses is usually the easiest way to do this. If there are any witnesses, you might also seek their names and contact details. Gathering an instant witness report, with the help of the video camera on your phone, can be very useful.
This information will help you expedite your insurance claim. It will also be useful if you need to escalate the matter to a courtroom.
Report the incident to the police
If there has been any damage to people or property, including vehicles, then you’re legally obliged to report the crash to the police within twenty-four hours. Don’t rely on the other party to do it for you. If you fail to stop at the scene or fail to report the crash, then you could face a range of penalties, including points on your license, a hefty fine, and a prison sentence of up to six months.
Seek legal advice if necessary
In many cases, there’s no need to take the matter any further. But if the accident occurred as a result of negligence or malice on the part of another road user, and you suffered harm as a result, then you could be entitled to compensation. A pedestrian accident claim might be appropriate if you were involved in the accident, but not from within a vehicle.
It’s also important to note that it doesn’t have to be another road user at fault. If the condition of the road has contributed to the accident, you might argue in court that the council is liable for any damage that occurred.
