Nobody wants to think about the worst-case scenario, especially when planning the vacation of their lives. With the pandemic having forced everyone inside for around two years, now that vaccinations are becoming more prevalent and travel restrictions are starting to lift, few want to think about anything other than the activities they’re going to do on their first vacation in years.
After all, a vacation is long overdue: the extended quarantine period, the ever-present stress associated with the constant threat to life presented by the presence of COVID, and the abrupt, ineffectively coordinated shifts to remote lifestyles have had a profoundly negative impact on most people’s mental health. Now that people have a window of opportunity to take vacations (before Omicron, appropriately, scares us back inside), people are planning to take vacations for the first time in a while, getting away from the four walls they’ve been staring at for around two years. Taking precautions against the virus is important, though, and something that these vacationers should keep in mind as they look at ever-increasing rates of infection due to Omicron.
However, it’s important to acknowledge that the pandemic isn’t the only threat vacationers may experience on their travels. Auto accidents have been an epidemic of their own over recent years, and it’s likely that you may face the possibility of ending up in one, regardless of whether you’re traveling in Chicago or driving the streets of London. No matter your situation, you’ll want to have a plan in place to deal with the possibility of getting into an auto accident, as it can be challenging in the moment (while processing the fact that you’ve gotten into an accident and assessing the damage) to act in a way that increases your chances of recouping your damages without a plan.
As such, whether you’re going on a cross-country road trip or expecting to navigate crowded urban areas while heading somewhere else, here are the things you’ll need to do if you get into an auto accident.
Get to a Safe Location
This is only really relevant if you find yourself in the middle of a busy intersection or on the highway when the accident takes place: turn your hazard lights on, and if you aren’t critically injured or the car isn’t severely damaged, navigate to the nearest shoulder, parking lot, or open area and get yourself out of harm’s way. This step can be skipped if you or the car have been damaged enough that attempting to do this would cause even greater issues: just make sure, if you do this, that the person who hit you is following and isn’t trying to pull a crash and dash.
Evidence, Evidence, Evidence
Once in a safe location, the first thing you should do is get the other drivers’ insurance information and begin taking pictures of the scene. Take pictures of all damage to both vehicles, as well as pictures of any injuries either party sustained in the wreck. If the matter escalates, you’ll want photo evidence of your claims for insurance and for court.
Also, be sure to call the police as soon as you can, regardless of the other drivers’ pleas to work out an accident without involving them. While it may seem heartless, raising premiums for one or both parties, police are required to fill out an authoritative, third-party account of the incident that may prove invaluable in court. You may need to use something like that as evidence to prove you were not at fault: having that available as a resource as the case continues to escalate is something you’ll no doubt appreciate.
Get a Professional Involved
Suppose you’ve been seriously injured and find yourself having to pay expensive medical bills, or your car has been totaled and your insurance company isn’t willing to provide an adequate settlement. In that case, you may want to consider escalating the matter and taking it to court. Look up lawyers familiar with local law in the area where you crashed and those with a solid track record of tackling cases like yours. You may find that you recoup your injuries quickly that way, and with the right counsel, the painful process of taking an auto accident to court can be made much lighter.
There’s no way to prepare yourself for every eventuality, but you can at least be sure that you are ready in the event of more likely incidents, like auto accidents. After taking the steps above, if you should find yourself caught in an auto accident, you’ll be best positioned to get what you need to recoup your injuries.
