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What teens should do after a car accident

On Behalf of | Aug 6, 2019 | blog

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shares that the leading cause of death for those between the ages of 16 and 19 are automobile accidents. In fact, in 2016, more than 2,400 teenagers died on roadways in the United States. Nearly 243,000 teenagers sought medical treatment following a car crash that year. 

While receiving your driver’s license is likely part of becoming an adult, you must be careful to stay safe on Texas’s many highways, roads, streets and bridges. If you do find yourself in the middle of an automobile accident, you must take certain steps to protect yourself and your passengers. 

1. Call your parents 

As a teen driver, you must behave responsibly before, during and after an automobile accident. Still, you may not have the life experience necessary to handle the crash’s aftermath effectively. Therefore, call your parents or guardian as soon as you can. Besides being able to provide guidance, your parents want to know you are safe. 

2. Ask for help 

If you have had a minor accident, your vehicle may still be drivable. Nonetheless, even fender-benders can be stressful. Because you may be unable to drive safely after an accident, you should consider asking for help. Arranging a ride home after the accident may be your best strategy for avoiding a subsequent collision. 

3. Go to the emergency room 

Automobile collisions often cause injuries that are difficult to detect immediately. Even if you think you feel fine after a wreck, you should see a doctor. Only when you receive a full examination can you be certain that you do not have broken bones, a traumatic brain injury or other medical problems. 

4. Obtain important information 

If you have sustained an injury or have property damage after an automobile collision, you may be able to receive compensation from the person who caused the accident to happen. To do so, though, you need some information about the accident. If you can do so safely, obtain the name and contact details for the other driver and all potential witnesses. Also, take some photographs of the accident scene. 

With responsible driving and a bit of luck, you may never have to worry about having an automobile accident during your teen years. If you do have one, though, what you do afterward matters.