5 Things to do if Involved in a Traffic Accident – Injury Attorneys Guide
While the roads may not be getting any safer, with the invention of technology such as airbags, cars are getting safer, but accidents do still occur every day on our roads.
Have you thought about what would happen if you were involved in a road traffic accident while on the job, either as the driver (car, motorbike, or another vehicle) or as a passenger? Would your employer pay you if your injuries required a lengthy stay in hospital or if you had to spend months at home while you recuperate? Or maybe you are self-employed and if you can not work, then you will not get paid. Unless you have plenty of savings in the bank, your mortgage still needs to be paid and your family still needs to be provided for.
If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a road traffic accident, here is a list of 5 things you should do:
If you or another person has been killed or injured, you must stay at the scene for a reasonable time. You must also give your vehicle’s registration number along with your name and address to anyone who asks for it if they have reasonable grounds to do so. If you do not exchange these details at the scene of the accident, you must report the accident to a police station or police officer as soon as you can (and in any event, within 24 hours of the accident taking place).
If another person is injured, then you must produce your certificate of insurance. If you do not have this with you at the time of the accident, then you can produce it when reporting the accident at a police station within 24 hours.
It will be a condition of your insurance policy with your insurance company to report any accident to them, so make sure you do this, even if you do not want to make a claim yourself. If you do not do this within a reasonable time, your insurance company may not cover you for any claims in the future.
If the accident was not your fault, you may be entitled to a traffic accident compensation claim. There are hundreds of law firms that will be willing to take your case on, many on a no win/no fee basis which means that in the unfortunate event of you not being successful in your claim, the lawyer representing you will not charge you anything.
And finally, stay calm – panicking will not help the situation.
Being involved in a traffic accident can be traumatic but the advice in the five steps above should ease the situation a little.
