It’s always hard having to come to terms with the more challenging aspects of life. Getting in a car accident, especially if it wasn’t your fault, can be very overwhelming. Dealing with what has to come after, starting from doctor appointments and getting your car fixed to having to deal with the legal matters and receiving your rights can be a very hard time. Here’s what you need to do to get help quickly after suffering from a car injury.
Don’t Panic and Get to Safety
It is very important to stay calm and rational during any type of unexpected situation. Panicking will only make you irrational and you won’t know what to do. It can also lead you to an unsafe situation along with everyone around you. If the accident took place in the middle of the road, don’t check your car or the other party’s car in the middle of the road, if possible try to get the car to the sideway or get yourself on the sideway until a tow car or the police arrive. In the meantime, exchange contact information with the other driver to be able to contact them later on.
Call Your Emergency Hotline
After you make sure that everyone is safe and you have gotten to safety, you must call for help. You should contact your emergency hotline right away and explain the situation. After the call, you should be expecting the police and an ambulance to arrive soon. Even if you believe that nothing is wrong with you, allow the paramedics to check you out to ensure that no serious damages have been done to you. If you’re somewhere where it is dark and not many vehicles pass by, call someone and let them know where you are and what happened. If the police are not going to arrive soon, it is recommended to wait inside your car and lock your doors for extra safety. Don’t drive for a long distance if your car has just been in an accident, it is absolutely not safe, even if you believe that it may be safe.
Treat Your Injuries
Your main focus should totally be aimed at getting back on your feet and going back to your normal life. This cannot be done overnight and it will take time-based on the severeness of your injuries. You must follow up with your doctor and follow all of their instructions. You should always communicate with your doctor if you feel as if there’s no improvement or get a second opinion to make sure you’re getting the best help you can get. You should pay attention to your medicines and take them on time if your doctor prescribed any. You shouldn’t pressure yourself into doing things that you’re not capable of doing yet and you should go easy on yourself. When you start feeling better, a great option would be to start exercising and improving your overall physical health.
Always pay attention to your nutrition and don’t neglect to eat enough potions throughout the day and to have all your meals. Make sure to drink lots of water, not only because it is a basic necessity, but because it also promotes healing which will help you recover quickly.
Consult a Professional
Whenever you feel strong enough to pick up the phone and call your lawyer, you should do that. You should never neglect to receive your rights and the compensation you deserve. Even if it was a hit-and-run accident, you should contact a car accident lawyer and have them file a suit for you. Gathering all the necessary health reports and giving them to your doctor as well as your OR and crime scene reports ensures your rights in the case. Your lawyer can also negotiate on your behalf during settlements and insurance company compensations. You can share your emotional trauma with your lawyer as well because they can use it to get better compensation from the insurance company or the party at fault.
Get Help With Your Emotional Trauma
So many people ignore the emotional damage that they experience after a car injury. This will slow down your recovery rate and will make it harder for you to get back to your normal life after the accident. Your mental health has an impact on your physical health and vice versa, so neglecting one will definitely cause damage to the other.
You can always talk to a friend, a sibling, a relative or if you’re more comfortable talking to a professional then that would be a much more helpful option. For those in Dallas looking for specialized help, finding qualified therapists is essential. You might want to research “therapists Dallas” who can guide you through this tough time with professional care tailored to your needs.
Emotional trauma could lead you to unhealthy patterns or unrealistic fears. Here’s what you need to do:
Avoid Unhealthy Habits
Staying home for a while after you have been in an accident is very normal. It is not recommended but if you believe that it is best for your emotional health that you stay home then do just that. However, you mustn’t let yourself fall into bad habits. Having one lazy day where you stay in bed all day eating unhealthy food is okay, but it becoming a daily habit might lead you into depression.
Try to go out more and stay around people more. Sometimes, people would refer to alcohol or drugs during that time, thinking it would help them get over the trauma. Those two habits could lead to an addictive pattern and you shouldn’t practice either to avoid emotional trauma. If you ever find yourself falling into any habit that you think could be unhealthy, consult a professional about it or at least talk to a friend.
Don’t Cutout Driving
The most common emotional impact of a car accident is fear of driving. It is totally normal to feel traumatized and fear getting behind the wheel for a while, but giving in to this fear could actually turn into agoraphobia or morbid fear. It is absolutely necessary to talk about your fears after the accident with a professional and describe them to them. Getting help early on in this type of situation is much easier than trying to recover from it later on.
If you believe that you will be fine driving without talking about it with someone, that’s okay. If you get back to driving and you start facing panic attacks or nightmares whether it is after facing a specific situation while driving or randomly, don’t wait for it to happen again and contact a professional right away.
What Not to Do
In order to get quick help and not risk getting yourself in any kind of trouble, there are a few things that you should make sure not to do. Here are a few:
Leave the Crime Scene
Whether the accident was your fault or not, you must not leave before the police arrive. Even if the other driver is at fault and you took on more damage, leaving the crime scene before the police or the paramedics arrive, risks you being faced with hit and run charges. Leaving will make it seem as if the accident didn’t damage your vehicle enough that you actually risked driving after that and that you were in a good health state that you were able to drive after the accident.
If the police don’t get a chance to talk to you and scan the vehicle to understand what happened in the accident, you will not be able to hold the other party accountable for their actions because their lawyers might argue that the damages done to your car were the result of another accident and that the other driver had no responsibility in the accident at all.
Admit Guilt
An admission of guilt at any time during the process, from the second your car gets hit to the last settlement meeting or court date, will strip you from your rights. After suffering an injury from a car accident, you are entitled to rights of compensation from the party at fault. Implying that you were responsible fully or partially for the accident can be taken as an admission of guilt. Make sure to not say anything without checking with your attorney first and try to be careful when talking to the police.
Get Recorded
The opposing party or their insurance company might try to get you on tape. Unless you get the green light from your attorney, then don’t at all give anyone permission to record a conversation with you. Everything you say about the accident can be used against you and can be used to get you to let go of your rights.
You must understand that throughout the process you shouldn’t feel alone. You must reach out to people you love and ask them for help to bypass this phase of your love. Receiving your rightful compensation is always attainable, you only need to contact a good attorney. Don’t leave your injuries to recover on their own or assume that they are not serious, get yourself checked by a professional right away.
