If you’re ever unfortunate enough to be involved in a car accident, you should follow the following steps to ensure that you’re legally protected.
How to protect yourself legally from a car accident:
1. Make sure to contact the police before you leave the scene of the accident
If you’re involved in a car accident, it can be tempting to drive off in order to avoid getting into legal trouble. However, if you drive away from the scene of a car accident, which you’re involved in, without contacting the police and your car is identified as being part of the accident, you will find yourself in serious trouble. So ensure to call the police while you’re still at the scene of the accident.
2. Take our car insurance, if you haven’t already done so
If you don’t already have car insurance, it may be well worth investing in car insurance as if you are involved in a car accident and are at fault, you may be able to pay for the damage on the other vehicle to be fixed. Which may placate the other driver, who may choose not to pursue any charges against you.
3. Be sure to exchange insurance details with the driver of the other vehicle
In order to ensure that you meet your legal obligations in an accident, also make sure to exchange insurance details with the driver of the other vehicle, before you leave the scene of the accident.
4. Take photos of the accident and the damage that it caused as soon as possible
As soon as you ensure that both you and the driver and passengers of the other vehicle are safe and don’t require an ambulance, use your smart phone to take clear photos of the position your vehicles ended up in. As well as any damage sustained to your car. Also make sure to take multiple photos of the accident from a distance and from multiple angles.
That way if you are in the right and have not broken any traffic laws, you’ll be able to prove that you were not at fault and that it was the driver of the other vehicle who was breaking traffic or speeding related laws.
5. Talk to a lawyer who specialises in handling traffic related cases before you call your insurance company
Many insurance companies will pressure you to give a recorded statement, whilst you’re still stressed out from being in an accident. So instead of calling your insurance company straight away, you’re far better off calling a lawyer from companies like Prime Lawyers, who specialists in handling traffic related legal cases. As they’ll be able to guide you through the exact steps which you should take, in order to protect yourself legally.
6. Book a doctor’s appointment to ensure that you weren’t injured in the accident
If you visit your doctor and find out for example, that you sustained an injury as a result of your car accident, you may be able to get a letter written by your doctor to confirm that you were injured in the accident.
If you make sure to use the six tips listed above, if you ever get into a car accident, you should be able to protect yourself legally.
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