Snow, ice and other wintry precipitation make winter a dangerous season for driving here in Pennsylvania. When an accident occurs on a slick road, it can be hard to determine whether one of the involved parties should be held responsible or the incident should simply be blamed on the inclement weather. This factor makes winter weather accidents a bit trickier to deal with than your average roadway incident.
With a few weeks of cold weather left, our Bucks County car accident lawyer would like to walk you through the steps you should take following a winter motor vehicle accident:
- If possible, turn your emergency lights on right away after impact to make your vehicle more visible to other drivers and prevent another crash. Evaluate yourself and any passengers in your car and the other involved vehicle(s) for injuries and make any necessary calls to emergency response personnel.
- Once you’ve addressed any injuries, you should now assess the scene and decide whether the police should be called. In most cases, it is wise to have them come so that they can direct traffic and make the area less hazardous for other drivers.
- While you wait for the police and/or the tow truck to arrive, get out of your vehicle and go as far away from the road as you can. The goal is to put as much distance as possible between yourself and passing vehicles that could potentially slide and injure you.
- As after any accident, you’ll need to exchange information with the other driver(s). Be sure to collect their name, phone number and address in addition to their insurance information. Also get the names and information of any witnesses and take detailed photos of the accident scene and cars.
- Even if you believe that the accident was caused by another party’s negligence in combination with the bad weather, you should never discuss the details of the accident and its cause at the scene. Remain calm and do not blame anyone or admit to anything. Once everything is cleared up and you have left the scene, you can then contact your insurance company to report what happened.
After you have completed these steps, it’s time to decide if you would like to file a claim for your injuries and/or damage to your vehicle. An experienced car accident lawyer in Bucks County can assist you in making the right choice based on the details of your case.
We’re Experts on Winter Auto Accident Cases
If you have been injured in a winter car accident and you believe that someone else may have been at fault, the Heslin Law Firm is here to help. With years of experience in successfully handling cases of this sort, our Bucks County car accident attorney will carefully analyze the details of your accident in order to determine who should be held accountable. Then, he will help you get the compensation you deserve by suggesting the best course of legal action for the situation.
If you’re ready to move on with your life after a wintertime incident, call the car accident lawyer Bucks County relies on at (215) 332-0300 and schedule a free consultation. And don’t forget to read our advice for effectively clearing snow and ice off of your car this winter. We look forward to being your trusted source of legal aid.