Insurance

Getting in a car accident, even a minor one, can be a shocking experience, and it's easy to get caught up in the rush of adrenaline and confusion that follows. But it's important, in these moments, to handle the situation the correct way in order to ensure you get fair treatment by the insurance companies-or by the courts, should things go that far. Unless you have the misfortune to be seriously injured, it is upon you to take action immediately.

Here are 5 things you should always remember when you are involved in a collision on the road.

1. Traffic

The first thing you should never forget about is that there are still other cars on the road, and as long as the damaged vehicles remain in their path, there is a very real danger of the accident becoming much worse. If neither you nor the other driver is severely injured and the cars are still functioning, you need to get them out of the path of traffic before someone else gets hurt.

While this is happening, bystanders should be doing everything they can to flag, divert, slow, or stop passing vehicles.

If the vehicles cannot be moved because an injured victim is inside or the damage is too great, the flaggers should control traffic until the authorities arrive and take over. Nothing is more tragic in a situation like this than additional vehicles making a bad accident worse.

2. Take Photos

It is extremely important to take photographs during a vehicle collision when possible. This becomes even more important if the vehicles are to be moved. If possible, take a photo of the original accident before the vehicles are moved. Then, make sure to document all damages to both vehicles and any other variables that may or may not have come into play.

Leave no visual stone unturned - in the heat of the moment you may easily miss a key piece of visible evidence that could explain what happened later.

3. Contact Info

Never leave the scene without getting all the other driver's contact and insurance information. This is crucial. While you're at it, get the names and contact information for all witnesses or innocents involved as well, so you can give these over to the police or your insurance company. Third party testimony is a huge asset in an automobile case.

4. Never Admit Guilt

The most important thing you must never forget is that you should not admit guilt, no matter what-even if you are certain it was, in fact, your fault. This applies to all legal matters, but in the case of automobile accidents, it is an especially essential point because of the complexity and speed of these incidents.

There are often multiple contributing variables, so it's hard to immediately see why it happened the way it did. For this reason, you might be jumping into the blame without fully realizing what it was that occurred.

Another reason is that even if you are guilty, delaying and admission of guilt can often put you in a better position to get lesser charges in court or play less to the insurance company by exercising your rights.

5. Call Your Lawyer

Finally, don't forget to call your lawyer, and you should have the number of a reliable car accident attorney on file just in case something like this happens. Call them immediately if that is possible and let them know what happened so they can give you the best advice about how to proceed.

Sure, car accidents don't happen every day, but most people will be involved with one at least once-if not multiple times-throughout their lives. It' good to be prepared, and at the very least, you should know what you need to do when it does occur.