At some point in our lives we’ll all be involved in a car accident of some sort. It could be something minor or it could be a major accident. There are several steps you should take in the wake of any kind of accident, big or small, your fault or not. Before getting your Long Island auto insurance provider on the line, you should take care of these steps first:
1. Check Yourself and Passengers for Injury – remember to always check yourself out before looking to others. Bleeding to death while you’re trying to assist people who are less injured than you won’t help anyone out. Make sure your injuries aren’t life-threatening, then move on to someone who’s injured worse than you. Call an ambulance if you or anyone else in the car is badly injured.
2. Inspect the Car for Smoke or Fire – if you struck something in front, see if the engine is smoking or on fire. Next you should check and see if the gas tank is leaking fuel or is on fire. Once you’ve learned the status of everyone in the vehicle you should determine if it’s safe for them to stay in the vehicle or if they should be evacuated. If you see fire or smoke, immediately get everyone out of the car, but be careful with anyone suffering from broken bones.
3. Repeat with Other Parties Involved – once everyone with you has been safely evacuated from the scene you should see if anyone else needs help. If anyone does need help, only assist them if they give you permission. God forbid they end up getting hurt while you evacuate them and then they stick you with the blame. After you’ve received permission or you see they are incapacitated assist them however you can, then let them know help is on the way once they rouse.
4. Exchange Insurance Information – as soon as you can, exchange Massapequa insurance information and phone numbers with the driver of the other vehicle. This will expedite the process on the back-end of things and help both parties get the claims they need later on.
5. Photograph the Scene – after you’ve done the first four steps and you’re waiting for help to arrive, you should snap some photos and take some video of the scene with your cell phone or digital camera. Any injuries you or your loved ones have suffered should be photographed if safe to do so. This will be of tremendous help to your insurance company.
By following these steps you will make it easier for police and paramedics to do their jobs when they arrive on the scene, and make it safer for you and your passengers. Your Long Island car insurance provider will appreciate this extra effort on your part.
Completely Covered is one of the top providers of cheap New York auto insurance in Nassau County. Get free New York auto insurance quotes here.