Any kind of auto accident can be an overwhelming, frightening, and disorienting experience, but those qualities get multiplied substantially when the car accident happens on a highway. The reason is that, unlike a city street, a highway has non-stop fast moving traffic flowing in a single direction across multiple lanes. That means car accidents tend to be more destructive because of the higher vehicle speeds, and that it can be harder for help to arrive, which means that the accident victims will be on their own for a while.
However, there are steps that any driver involved in a highway accident can take to ensure their safety. If the accident was not their fault, then there are also steps that they should take to make sure that they get compensated for all of the expenses caused by the accident. One of those steps is to contact an attorney so that they can provide the legal help that the accident victim needs. If you live in the Orlando area and were involved in a highway accident, then contact accident lawyers Fasig and Brooks to get the help you need.
Step 1: Check for Injuries
The first thing you need to do is to check if you have sustained any injuries. You will not be able to perform a full medical assessment of course, the medical professionals will have to do that, but you can check to see if you have any broken bones, lacerations, pain, swelling, or trouble breathing. If you can move, then you should check on any passengers in the car, and the driver of the car that crashed into you.
Step 2: Call Emergency Services
Your next step should be to call 911 so that they can send help. Even if you don’t think that you are hurt, you should get checked out by medical professionals since some injuries do not manifest immediately. The police will be able to clear up the scene and ensure the safety of everyone involved in the accident. Additionally, they will have to write an accident report, which could come in useful when you are making your injury claim.
Step 3: Get To Safety
You can do this while you are waiting for help to arrive, or if the situation is dire enough, you can do it even before you call for help, either way you should get to a safe place as soon as you can. Since you are on a highway, cars are likely to be whizzing past you and you do not want to get clipped by any of them after being in an accident. So if it is possible, try to get to the road shoulder or an embankment, or anywhere that you can avoid the traffic. However, you should never attempt to cross a highway on foot so try to find a safe place nearby. If your car is in a traffic lane but is still driveable, then move it out of the way so that it does not end up causing another accident.
Step 4: Gather Evidence
Even though you might understandably be thinking of your safety after a car accident, you should also be thinking ahead to your insurance claim. If the other driver was responsible for the accident, then you should start gathering evidence that proves their liability. That means taking pictures of the accident scene and the damage to each car. If you had to move your car out of the way, then make a note of that. Experts can use the photos to reconstruct the accident and determine who was at fault.
Step 5: Exchange Information
Once the safety and health of everyone has been taken care of, it is time to exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver. If the accident was their fault, then you will be filing an injury claim with their insurance company so you will need to have their insurance information. When you are speaking with the other driver, make sure that you do not apologize or imply that you were partially at fault for the accident, the insurance company will use that statement to try to reduce or deny your settlement. If you really need to speak with the other driver, make sure to do so with the presence of Motor vehicle accident lawyers Brisbane.
Be Careful After a Highway Car Accident
An accident on a highway can be even more dangerous than an accident on a city street so make sure that you exercise caution in its aftermath. After following all the steps that you should take at the accident scene, the next step you should take is to contact a personal injury lawyer to represent you. An experienced auto accident lawyer can help gather more evidence to prove the liability of the other driver and they can negotiate with their insurance company to get you a fair settlement that covers all of your damages.
You can visit this site https://halelaw.com/right-of-way-u-turn-versus-right-turn-who-has-the-right-of-way/ to hire one.