How to Act After a Car Accident

Ensuring Safety

1. How to Act After a Car Accident Picture 1
   Take a moment to calm down. You will likely be angry, scared, shocked, nervous, guilty, or a combination of all of these emotions in the aftermath of an accident. The calmer you are, the better you will be able to deal with the situation. Take a few deep breaths or count to ten to steady yourself.^[1]
2. How to Act After a Car Accident Picture 2
   Stay at the scene. Leaving the scene of an accident, whether you caused the accident or not, can result in serious criminal penalties. The penalties for leaving an injured person at the scene vary from state to state and according to the extent of the injuries, but generally result in fines between $5,000 and $20,000 and imprisonment for up to 15 years, in addition to civil damages. Leaving the scene after even minor damage can result in your license being suspended.^[2]
3. How to Act After a Car Accident Picture 3
   Determine any injuries. The most important thing to do immediately after a car accident is to assess any injuries you or the other drivers and passengers have received. Determine your own safety, then check with the other people involved and, if necessary, immediately call for an ambulance.^[3]

   1. If someone is unconscious or has neck pain, moving them may cause serious harm. Leave them in place until medical personnel arrives, unless leaving them in place would endanger them (i.e. they are lying in traffic, their car is on fire, etc.).
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   Call the police. Even for what looks like a fender-bender, it is still a good idea to call. That way you will have an official record of the accident, which will help protect you in case the other party sues you or disputes your account of the accident.^[4] Police can also dispatch assistance in the event of a serious accident.

   1. Stay on the phone with the police until they arrive or instruct you to hang up. Many 911 operators can provide safety instructions.^[5]
   2. Ask that a police report be filed. This report will help when filing insurance claims and in the event of a lawsuit.^[6] In some states, police will only file a report if injuries are involved. In this case, file a state vehicle accident report, available at police stations or on the Department of Motor Vehicles website.^[7]
   3. Obtain the name and badge numbers of the police who arrive, in case your insurance agent or lawyer needs to contact them.^[8]
5. How to Act After a Car Accident Picture 5
   Move your vehicle, if possible. If you can safely drive your vehicle, move it off to the side of the road and out of the path of oncoming traffic. This will keep you at a safe distance from traffic while you exchange information with the other drivers and make it easier for police and ambulance workers to reach the scene of the accident.^[9]
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   Turn on hazards and set up cones or flares if you can't move your car. Particularly on the highway, anything you can do to alert oncoming traffic that there is a disabled vehicle in the road will increase your safety.^[10]
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   Stay in your car with your seatbelt fastened. Don't try to cross traffic to get off the road, and don't stand next to a car that is stranded in traffic or on the shoulder. People who get out of their car are killed or injured more often than those who stay inside.^[11]

   1. However, if you smell gas, get out of your car right away. This could signal a fuel leak that could lead to a fire or explosion.^[12]