A rollover accident can be a traumatic experience, especially if you’re in one. Whether you are the driver or a passenger, it is important that you know what to do after an accident to ensure your safety and the safety of others around you.
If you are involved in a roll-over accident and you are uninjured, it is important to take the following steps:
Stay calm.
As soon as you can, try to stay calm. In a roll-over accident, it’s important to remain calm and avoid making things worse. There are many reasons why this is true:
- If you’re injured and panicking, it might cause your adrenaline levels to spike and make the pain worse than it already is.
- If others (passengers or bystanders) see that you seem overwhelmed by what just happened, they might not look at their own injuries or think about calling the police even if they need help.
- Panicking can also lead to forgetting important steps in an emergency situation such as driving away from the scene of an accident or checking on other passengers in your vehicle before driving away from the scene of an accident.
Check to see if you are hurt.
A rollover accident is a serious crash that can cause serious injuries. If you have been in a rollover accident in Houston, it’s important to know what to do next.
Try to check your body for any injuries and pain. This includes checking your neck, back, head, and other areas of the body where damage may not be immediately visible. If you are hurt, get medical help immediately and work with an injury attorney in Houston to make sure you receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries.
Be aware that you may be in shock and not realize how injured you are.
Check your passengers for possible injuries.
After you’ve checked yourself for any injuries, it’s important to check your passengers too. If a person is hurt and needs medical attention, don’t move them until paramedics arrive. While this may seem counterintuitive in an urgent situation, moving an injured person could worsen any potential injuries by causing internal bleeding or even paralysis.
However, if someone isn’t injured but is stuck in their seatbelt or car seat (especially small children), you’ll need to unbuckle them as soon as possible so they won’t be injured by being trapped in the vehicle. You also want to make sure that they are out of any danger from a fire before attempting this process—if there’s smoke or flames coming from inside the car and you can’t see through them well enough to tell if the child has been released safely or not yet moved outside of their safety zone (a few feet away from where they were sitting), do not attempt this step until they are no longer at risk of being burned by fire.
Try to move your vehicle off the road to prevent another accident.
If it is safe, try to move your vehicle out of traffic and wait for help. Do not leave the scene of an accident until all vehicles have been moved, damaged property has been removed and all drivers are accounted for. In some cases, police may require you to remain at the scene until they arrive on-scene.
Your first priority should be your own safety; if it’s not possible or safe for you to move your car away from traffic lanes, turn on hazard lights and wait for assistance from emergency responders or law enforcement officers.*If moving your vehicle would cause further damage or injury then stay inside with your seat belt fastened until help arrives.*
Wait for help to arrive.
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Once it is clear that everyone involved appears to be safe, you should wait for help to arrive. If you are injured, the police or paramedics may want to interview you at the scene. This can be painful and confusing, but it’s important not to leave until they are done speaking with you and your passengers. The tow truck may arrive before the police do; if so, be sure not to drive away until the tow truck driver leaves with your car in tow.
The most important thing is not admitting fault for any accident or damage caused by your vehicle moving over into another lane of traffic. Be polite and answer questions honestly—but don’t admit fault until you have all of the facts about what happened so that both parties know exactly where things stand legally going forward
If you’re not hurt and able, get as much information as possible from witnesses before moving your vehicle.
If you’re not hurt and able, get as much information as possible from witnesses before moving your vehicle. Ask for their name, phone number, and address in case you need to contact them later. You can also ask if the witness saw the accident and would be willing to testify on your behalf. If they have a driver’s license or another form of photo identification on them, take that as well; it may come in handy when filing an insurance claim later on.
With all of this information at hand, it’s time to make sure you’ve gotten everything covered in regards to damage control and making sure your side of things is being represented accurately.
Take pictures of the scene, this will help with documenting how much damage actually occurred. Get photos of any visible injuries sustained during the accident—even if they were minor scrapes or bruises—and keep these photos on file for when it comes time to file an insurance claim or seek medical attention later down the road if necessary.
An Injury Attorney in Houston Will Help You Out!
If you’ve been seriously injured in an accident and aren’t sure what to do next, don’t agonize over the decision. Take action—contact a personal injury lawyer who can help you hold those responsible for your accident accountable. You’ll soon begin making positive strides towards recovery, and you’ll never look back.
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Credits To Atty. James Amaro
James Amaro founded the Amaro Law Firm in 2005 after leaving his position as an attorney at a defense law firm. Not long after founding the firm, Mr. Amaro was hired to represent many individuals and families who had their lives destroyed by the BP refinery explosion in Texas City, Texas. Since then, James Amaro has successfully represented thousands of people and businesses in various legal matters, including personal injury claims, business disputes, insurance claims, hurricane claims, and commercial litigation.