Indiana Serious Injury Attorney Discusses What to Do If You are in Collision

I was reading in the paper today about a hit and run collision which caused the wrongful death of one Hoosier and seriously injured another.  Apparently David Smith and Jason Pedigo were hit by a ford traveling east on Morris Street.  Mr. Smith was killed.  There is some indication that that two men were walking in the travel lane of Morris Street at the time of the collision.  However, this does not justify the driver of the Ford in leaving the scene of the collision.  We may never know, but what if Mr. Smith could have survived if the driver of the Ford stopped and immediately called for medical help? This series of events started me thinking about what the average driver should know and do if there is a collision.

The first thing to do is to stop and stay at the scene of the accident.  Sometimes it is a tricky call as to whether you should move the cars if you are able.  If the damage is slight and there are no injuries, it may be helpful to move the cars out of traffic to help keep traffic moving and to protect the drivers and their passengers from another collision.  You should assess whether you are hurt and if anyone else in the car is hurt.  If there is any question have the injured person stay put.  Sometimes adrenaline surges through the body after a collision, masking pain.  Keep this in mind.  If you have a cell phone call 911 and ask for a police officer and emergency aid.  If you can walk and talk without endangering yourself, effort should be made to talk with the other driver. You will want to exchange insurance information and addresses and telephone numbers.  You should always keep you insurance information in your glove compartment just in case of an accident.   You may also want to call family to let them know what has happened.  You may want to consider and ICE button on your phone.  ICE stands for in case of an emergency and should be the number of the person(s) most likely to be able to assist you.

Being involved in a collision involves time and forethought.  If you are prepared and keep your cool, you will reduce stress and make the process less scary.