Over 6 million car accidents take place every single year. And while some of them only involve one car, a whole lot of them involve two or more vehicles.
If you’re ever in a multi-vehicle accident, you need to know how to handle it. Regardless of whether it’s a head-on collision or another kind of crash, it’s very important for you to take the right steps in the immediate aftermath of a multi-vehicle car accident.
A lot of people get frazzled following a multi-vehicle accident and don’t know what to do first. It causes them to make all kinds of mistakes and often leads to headaches down the line.
Check out what to do after you’ve been involved in a multi-vehicle accident to avoid further problems in the future.
Call the Police and Let Them Know About the Accident
The very first thing that you should do following a multi-vehicle accident is call the police to report it. Or at the very least, you should yell to someone else near the accident scene and have them report the accident if you’re too shaken up to do it yourself.
You’re going to want to have the police come out to the scene right away to start investigating what happened. They’ll be able to speak with everyone who was involved in the multi-vehicle accident to try and get to the bottom of what took place.
They’ll also be able to get you and the other drivers that were in the crash the medical attention that you need. There are going to be many instances in which you’ll need to get medical attention sooner rather than later. Having police on the scene will help you get access to it right away.
Seek Medical Attention to Treat Injuries From the Accident
It doesn’t matter if you sustained a few minor bumps and bruises during your multi-vehicle accident, a couple of broken bones, or a head injury. You should always get checked out by a medical professional following a car crash to see what kind of condition your body is in.
There are some instances in which you might seem OK following a car crash only to have aches and pains creep up on you later. So it never hurts to have someone check you out to see if you’ve suffered any injuries in a multi-vehicle car accident.
In some cases, you’ll be able to get all the medical attention that you need right on the scene courtesy of paramedics. In others, you’ll need to head off to the hospital for an extensive evaluation and treatment.
Whatever the case, you shouldn’t put off getting medical attention following an accident for any longer than you absolutely have to. You’ll be asking for trouble if you do.
Exchange Car Insurance Information With the Other Drivers Involved in the Accident
At some point following a multi-vehicle accident, you’re going to need to reach out to the other drivers who were involved in it to get their car insurance information.
If the accident that you were in wasn’t too, too bad, you can usually walk right up to other drivers and ask them for their insurance information. But if you and/or the other drivers in the crash were badly injured, you’re not going to get the opportunity to do this on the accident scene.
You may have to speak with the police who responded to the scene about getting your hands on the necessary insurance information. You’re not typically going to want to reach out to your own car insurance company to inform them about the accident until you have this information ready to go.
Contact Your Car Insurance Company and Tell Them About the Accident
Once you’ve had a chance to gather your thoughts following a multi-vehicle accident, you can get in contact with your car insurance company to inform them of the crash you were in. They’ll open up a claim for you and start to gather information on the crash. It’ll allow them to help you get the money you need to pay for medical bills, car repair bills, and more.
Your car insurance company is going to want to hear your side of the story and will likely ask you lots of questions about the crash. They’ll also want to hear what other drivers have to say about the multi-vehicle accident. They’ll often reach out to their insurance companies to piece together the full story.
Prior to getting too deep in discussions with your car insurance company, you may want to speak with an auto accident lawyer about your case. They can set you up with some advice on what you should and shouldn’t say to your insurance company.
Touch Base With an Auto Accident Lawyer to Discuss Your Options
If you decide that you do, in fact, want to talk to an auto accident lawyer about your options before discussing your accident with your insurance company, you should look for a reputable one in your area to help you. They should have a wealth of experience when it comes to handling multi-vehicle car accident cases.
Find one that you know you can trust to walk you through the car accident recovery process. They can make the whole thing so much easier on you than it would be otherwise.
There Are All Kinds of Complications That Can Come Along With a Multi-Vehicle Accident
Obviously, no one wants to get into a multi-vehicle accident. But if you spend enough years out on the road, there’s a decent chance that you’re going to be involved in one eventually.
If you’re ever injured in a multi-vehicle car accident, you can make it a little less painful by following the steps that we just laid out. They’ll help you to get a grip on the situation and make a full recovery in no time at all.
Learn more about hiring a car crash attorney by browsing through the other informative articles found on our blog.
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