Dealing With Car Accidents While Vacationing for the First Time

Published
04/23/2023

Vacations are occasions that most people look forward to. This time, you are on a getaway and need to heighten your physical and psychological well-being. While vacating in St. Louis, motoring is more often than not a stress-free experience. However, you might be unlucky and get into a car crash. So what should you do? Here are a few must-dos after you're involved in a road accident in St. Louis.

Notify Your Car Accident Attorney

Car accidents in St. Louis are unpredictable and happen when you least expect them. After the crash, you must notify your lawyer as soon as possible to help you deal with the accident if you already have one. If otherwise, seek to hire a St. Louis auto accident lawyer to claim compensation. These professionals have the skills to challenge denied insurance claims until you get compensation for your expenses and losses.

Take Details of the Involved Parties

If you’re safe, use your phone to take pictures of the accident and its extent. Also, if you can, write down the essential details of the involved parties and the vehicle's registration numbers. Share your details and get other parties' names, addresses, insurance company details, etc. Listing the event also helps, since you might forget what event followed the other, complicating the settlement and compensation process.

Call the Nearest Traffic Police

The next important thing to do is to call the St. Louis police. The law enforcement officers check out who is at fault, interview the accident witnesses and note what happened. Most importantly, they establish what could have been the cause of the crash and the preventive measures to reduce car accidents. Also, get a report cop[y from the police for future reference.

File a Compensation Claim From Your Insurer

You’ll most likely be driving a hired car while vacating St. Louis for the first time. Therefore, if you’re unlucky to get into a mishap, it'll be your responsibility to inform your insurance company and the car hiring company about what happened on time. Note that most St. Louis insurers are strict on notification deadlines after an accident occurs. Therefore, report the matter to your insurer soon to avoid inconveniences and being denied compensation.

If Injured, Seek Medical Attention

After a road accident, most people sustain injuries that call for speedy medical attention. However, some injuries like whiplash and its symptoms may take a long time to manifest. Therefore, even if you don't have physical injuries or wounds, seeing a  doctor is advisable for diagnostics. If you're traveling with your family or friends, make sure they’re safe before checking on other people in the other vehicle. The sooner your St. Louis doctor assesses you, the better treatment you will receive.

Remain at the Accident Scene

One of the dreadful mistakes you can make is fleeing from the accident scene, especially if you’re wrong, saying you were not following the traffic rules. However, you should remain at the scene and wait for the police to arrive. If your car blocks other road users, move it off the road to avoid high traffic. In addition to that, use hazard lights and red warning triangles to warn other road users about the accident a few meters from the scene.

Road accidents can be frightening regardless of your nationality and level of driving experience, especially if it's your first time. However, you should get the most out of your St. Louis vacation. Car accidents should not ruin your vacation experience. All you need to do is remain calm, note what happens during and after the car accident, notify your insurer, and seek medical attention, among other essential steps.