If you have suffered a motor accident a few steps to take after the accident to assist you are:
1. Take a deep breathe and look around you. Check to see if you or your passengers are injured and if so call 000 and ask for an ambulance or ask someone to call an ambulance for you;
2. Secure your car by turning off the keys putting the car in park or neutral pulling on the hand brake;
3. Get the names, addresses, phone numbers, registration numbers and drivers license numbers from the other drivers involved. Try not to say too much and don’t talk about who is responsible for the accident. If the other drivers says you are the cause simply say no you are not. You do not need to engage the other driver in a debate;
4. Try and get photos (from your phone if possible) of the accident scene, the location of the vehicles, any skid marks and the damage to the vehicles;
5. Get the names, addresses, registration numbers and phone numbers of any witnesses to the accident;
6. The accident must be reported to the police and a traffic number given to you even if there is minimal damage to any vehicles. Also organise the removal of your vehicle if it is not driveable; and most importantly
7. Take some time to sit down and let the stress and anxiety pass if you can. Perhaps whilst you are waiting for a tow truck or if your vehicle is driveable then before you drive away just sit down and take 10 minutes to relax.
After the accident if you have suffered an injury then you should make a claim. Severe time limits apply for injuries from motor vehicle accidents and a claim must be made within 1 month of the accident or within 1 month of seeing a solicitor. The final date for lodging a claim is 9 months from the date of the accident. If you do not lodge a claim within the 9 months or if you do not issue proceedings within 3 years of the accident then you lose your right to claim forever.
Make a time to see Joe O’Hare for a free consultation to assess your rights.