What to do when involved in a Road Accident
No matter what the circumstances are, if you are involved in a road accident you have to stop, whether the accident involves another car, a tree/lamp post or a building, you need to stay at the scene.
If involved in a Road Accident you must not drive off, it is a criminal offence, and you also should never:
- Admit to the accident being your fault, the other driver may have been drunk, driving too fast or without lights, admitting to the accident will go against you if the Road Accident ends up in court.
- Be persuaded not to call the police
- Never accept money off the other person involved, it may not be enough to cover the damage done.
You must call the emergency services if involved in a Road Accident, if an ambulance is needed the operator will talk you through what to do, such as checking for a response and checking the airways but it is important not to move a person if they are injured. You should check if the person is breathing.
If the injured person is bleeding it is important to stop the bleeding by applying pressure as server bleeding can cause shock. If a person has gone into shock it is important to loosen tight clothing and keep them warm, make them lie down and raise their legs.
When phoning an ambulance you will need to tell the operator where you are, what has happened by describing the accident how many people are injured and whether they are bleeding/breathing.
As well as treating the injured and making sure everyone is a safe distance from the accident and all engines are turned off it is also essential that you get details from the other driver, if one is involved. These details are the drivers:
- Name
- Address
- Telephone Number
- Registration Number
It is often difficult to tell who is responsible for a Road Accident, however it is stated that if you drive into the back of a vehicle, you will be held responsible for the collision even if the driver in front slammed his breaks on.
All of the details that are taken down at the accident scene have to be given to all parties involved and the police. You must also present your insurance certificate to the police; this must be done 24 hours after the accident unless you don’t have a certificate, in which case you have seven days to get a hold of one.
You should gather as much evidence as possible from the accident. Any witnesses should write down all the information they can remember. Everyone who is involved in a Road Accident should document what happened. All of this is crucial information if you wish to make a compensation claim after a Road Accident. If a vital witness refuses to give you there account of what has happened they may be called by police to give a statement.
Tags: ambulance, circumstances, criminal offence, emergency services, legs, money, registration number, road accident, safe distance, shock, telephone number |
