If you have never been in a car crash, chances are you may be one day soon. A 2018 report from Esurance found that 77% of drivers surveyed had crashed at least once.
The moments after a crash are not the best time to think about what you need to do. You may be in shock or extreme pain, and neither promotes level-headed thinking. Knowing how to act in advance increases the chance you do things right if you do crash.
Never do these 3 things after a car crash
What you avoid doing can be even more critical than what you do. Here are some things to avoid:
- Do not leave: Fleeing the scene could lead to criminal charges. What you should do, is call the police. If you can offer help to anyone injured, do that too, provided you do not endanger yourself in the process.
- Do not admit fault: How much compensation you can claim may come down to the portion of blame you bear for the crash. However sorry you might be, or however sure you are that the collision was your fault, you must never say so. You cannot be sure what the other driver was doing at the time. You might have been on your phone, but they might have been high on crack and speeding to get away from their dealer.
- Do not settle straight away: An hour after the crash, you get a call from the other driver’s insurer to say how sorry they are to hear about the crash and how they can deposit $10,000 in your account straight away if you give them your bank details. They are not being nice. They are trying to minimize how much they pay.
It takes time to be sure of the full extent of your injuries. You may feel OK now, but you may notice further signs of injury in a few days. Getting adequate compensation for a car crash takes time. Yet without it, your injuries may affect you financially for years to come.