An average of three to four accidents happen in a person driving a car in their lifetimes and it is both stressful and can possibly change your life for the worse if you do not handle it correctly and legally. The term “accident” by itself means that the incident is unintended to start with but there are circumstances that make such events most likely to happen. For example, looking at one’s smartphone while driving dramatically increases the chances of an accident happening. Clearly, some accidents are caused by negligence and some are really purely chance. When you know that the accident is somehow your fault here are some specific do’s and don’ts in order to mitigate damage to yourself.
Make Sure No Further Harm Happens
After the incident make sure to put yourself and your vehicle out of harm’s way. Check yourself and your companions for any serious injury and prioritize calling the authorities for professional medical assistance.Turn off the engine and turn on your hazard lights to avoid further collisions. Once these are done, calm yourself down and think clearly and never react to any aggressive people or persons that may want to do harm to you for causing the accident. Staying calm is a surefire way to avoid further mishap.
Be Careful Of the Words That Come out Of Your Mouth
As a general rule straight from the mouths of many a personal injury lawyer, never say sorry or apologize in any way in an accident as this is tantamount to unknowingly admitting that it is your fault. WHile these may seem selfish and dishonest, you are just avoiding any unscrupulous person who might take advantage of the situation to their advantage, causing you to lose thousands of dollars i the process.
- Do not apologize in any way or form
- Do not try to explain how the accident happened to the aggrieved party
- Do not find fault by directly asking the driver of the other vehicle
- Do not answer fault finding questions directed to yo
Be As Cooperative As Possible
Cooperation goes a long way into establishing your trustworthiness to the authorities and to the other involved parties as well. Give the relevant information that they need like your full name, your address, your contact information and your insurance details. Also during this time gather as much information as you can about the other party. IF you have a smartphone take as many photos as you can from several angles as possible.
Final Thoughts
Getting into an accident is never the end of the road for most. Damage control and mitigation in the aftermath goes a long way in getting out of the scenario with the most minimum of losses.