When you learn to drive, you are told that the maximum distance between you and the car in front should be 3 seconds. You can monitor this as you drive using stationary objects such as lampposts to ensure that you have a safe distance between you and the car or vehicle in front of you. In spite of most people knowing this rule however, they don’t always abide by it. In fact we can see this very clearly when we look at the car accident statistics for the US, because this is the most common cause of accidents on our roads.
Such are the volume of these accidents that law firms will often have a tailgating car accidents lawyer in house, to take care of these personal injury claims. If you do find yourself in one of these accidents, here is what you should do.
First Steps
The first steps which you should take after you have been involved in this kind of accident is to stay calm, and check for any injuries which you or your passengers may have sustained. Often we see passengers in the rear as well as the driver have injuries when a vehicle goes into the back of your car.
Calling Emergency Services
Naturally if someone has been injured then your first step should be to call an ambulance so that they can get the care which they need. If there is no clear injuries then you should look to call the police to notify them that there has been an accident. It is always the right move to call the police here, so be sure that nobody talks you out of doing so.
Exchanging Information
Check in the other vehicle involved in the accident and ensure that there are no injured parties, and if there are not you should look to exchange your details with the other driver. Here you should ensure that you get their name, address, phone number, driver’s license number and insurance information. Do the same for anyone else involved in the accident.
Leaving a Statement
It is very important that you leave a statement with the police when they arrive. If you do file a claim later on down the line then this statement is going to give a much better description of what happened, as it will have been made whilst everything was fresh in your mind.
Taking Photos
Another important task to complete here, assuming that nobody is injured, is to take photos of the site of the accident and the surrounding area. Photos of the scene and the damage could be very useful to lawyers when you process a personal injury claim.
And finally you should notify your insurance company of what has happened, and follow the steps which they have in place for such an event. Make sure that after the incident, you don’t get behind the wheel, even if your car is drivable. Call aa family member of friend to help you out, as it is likely that you will be nervous and shaken up.
