As a parent, your child’s wellbeing is a primary concern. Statistics show that young drivers are in a high risk category for car accidents, and those numbers are reflected in the higher insurance premiums paid by parents. For some parents, every time their child takes the car it is cause for anxiety. Because anyone can be involved in an auto accident due to negligent drivers that are on the road, it may be wise to educate your child about what to do if the unimaginable happens. In addition to encouraging them to use defensive driving strategies for collision avoidance, it may bring peace of mind to provide guidance about what to do if they are in an accident someday.
It’s important to note that should your child be in a collision, as the parent it’s important to realize that hiring a skilled car accident lawyer to represent your child and family is often a wise course of action. Without a tough legal representative on your side, the at-fault driver is apt to blame your youngster for the accident simply because of their age and perceived lack of experience.
Some helpful tips and guidance should your child ever be involved in a car accident:
- If possible, they should move their vehicle out of oncoming traffic to a safer location such as the shoulder of the road. They should not leave the accident scene, but rather, do what is necessary to avoid getting hit by additional cars. In many instances it is not necessary to move the vehicle. They will have to assess this and it can be difficult to do in the chaos and aftermath immediately following an accident. It may be a challenging decision for them to make so they must err on the side of caution.
- They should call 911. If they are unable to do so, they should ask someone else to do so, whether it’s someone else in their vehicle, a bystander, someone in another vehicle, etc.
- Even if they do not feel as if they are injured, because their adrenaline may mask symptoms such as pain, they could have sustained one or more serious injuries. For this reason they should not move more than absolutely necessary (such as going to a safe place to prevent more cars hitting them). And they should absolutely allow first responders to examine them. If diagnosed with anything other than mild cuts, they should consider going to the emergency room on the ambulance. If they have time and are able to contact you for guidance as to what they should, that may be the best option. Once seen by a doctor, they should follow the doctor’s treatment orders. And note that even if the first responders did not detect any injuries, it is a good idea to take them to their primary physician for an exam just to be certain. Be sure to tell the person scheduling exams that your child was just in an accident and request a priority appointment.
If your child was injured in the accident and it was caused by someone else’s negligence, call a law office to request a free consultation with a car accident lawyer.