Staying Safe After an Accident

If you are involved in a car accident, you should do everything that you can to prevent the situation from deteriorating even further.  A minor accident can end up being the cause of major injuries.  Denver sees its fair share of automobile accidents on a daily basis.  Many car accidents cause serious injuries, and some result in fatalities.

Be prepared for an accident.  One simple thing to do is to have an emergency kit stored in the glove compartment of your car.  The kit should contain things such as pens and a notepad for taking notes, a flashlight, and a disposable camera for taking pictures of the scene of the accident.  Additionally, the kit could contain things such as an information card with emergency contacts, medical allergies and other important personal information. Items such as traffic cones and emergency flares could be stored in the trunk of a car. And, drivers should always have their cell phones charged and ready for use.

If you are involved in an accident, do the following right afterwards:  breathe deeply and remain calm.  Then, check to see if anyone in any of the vehicles involved is injured, and if you think one might be needed, call an ambulance.  If the accident is minor and there are no serious injuries, the drivers should move their cars off to the side of the road and out of the path of traffic.  Secondary collisions and injuries can occur when cars from the first accident remain on the road.  If a vehicle is unmovable, or if there is some other reason (such as injuries) that prevents moving a car to a safer spot, occupants should stay in the vehicle, with their seatbelts fastened, until the car can be towed or otherwise moved to a safer location.

If you are injured, get medical attention.  After initial treatment is completed, be sure to follow through on any recommended medical treatments.  Not taking care of yourself and not heeding the advice of medical professionals may end up causing more serious health issues for you.

Whenever possible, turn on the vehicle’s hazard lights and set out traffic cones, flares or warning triangles.  Then, call the police, even for minor accidents.  Get in contact with your insurance company.  Take notes of the scene, and also pictures.  Make sure to get all the information you can about the other driver, the other vehicle, and things such as the owner of the vehicle if the names differ.  And, call a Denver injury lawyer to discuss your case.  You want to avoid signing anything without counsel.  And, while you should remain civil and polite, do not admit to anything.