Imagine this: you’re driving down the road with a car in front of you. Everything has been fine for the last few minutes you’ve been behind this vehicle. But then suddenly, a change in traffic causes the vehicle in front of you to stop suddenly, and before you can even blink, your vehicle crashes into his.
Accidents like this happen all the time, and for many people the incident will be their first experience with handling the aftermath of a car crash. So what should they do when they are put into these difficult situations? How should they act?
That second question is often as important as the first. When you get into a car accident, you need to remain at the scene of the accident and stay calm. Some people flee the scene, get angry, or both. Fleeing the scene makes the accident a criminal act, and getting angry will only make other people involved in the crash angry when they have to deal with you.
Once you’ve calmed down, you should check on the people in the other vehicles involved in the crash. If they need assistance, help them out. If they need medical assistance, call 911 and listen to the person on the other end of the phone.
You can then perform some evidence gathering by taking photographs of the accident scene, the street signs out on the road, the damage to the vehicles involved, and any debris related to the accident.
Source: FindLaw, “After a Car Accident: First Steps,” Accessed March 26, 2018