Do you know what to do after an accident?

Being involved in a car accident can be a daunting experience.

Emotions run high and leaves you in a state of confusion and disbelief.

The North Coast Courier called up Paul Herbst, operations manager of IPSS Medical Rescue, to find out what to do after an accident occurred.

“Your immediate safety as well as those in your company, should become your immediate focus,” said Herbst, who as a paramedic has seen countless accidents and people’s reactions on the scene.

“When you are involved in an accident it is important to remember that you are on a road and, as such, all of the inherent dangers still apply. Pull up the handbrake and switch on your hazards if the car did not activate them automatically.”

Herbst said you should not worry about the car’s programmed functions that takes effect after an accident.

“Take a deep breath and decide on a course of action. If it is safe to exit your vehicle and you can do so without getting injured, then go ahead,” said Herbst.

Once you are out of the car, take a good look at your surroundings.

– Are you safe? If not, move to an area of safety immediately. Ask bystanders and/or motorists who have stopped, to provide warning to approaching traffic.

– Assess the situation to determine the extent and severity of the accident. How many injuries? Are there people stuck inside vehicles? Are chemicals involved? Fire?

– Contact local emergency services. Provide a location, outline of the situation, any landmarks in the immediate area, your name and contact details.

– Re-assess the situation to ensure that both yourself and those involved in the accident are safe. If there are immediate dangers, manage them to the best of your ability, without posing a danger to yourself or others.

– Discourage family members from coming to the accident scene. This causes congestion and delays emergency resources accessing the accident scene.

– Wait for emergency services and provide them with useful and critical information like the location of victims, notable hazards etc.

“The rule of thumb is to not move injured persons unless their lives are in immediate and serious danger,” said Herbst.

He adds that emotions often run high on accidents scenes, stressing that it is imperative that emergency services be allowed to perform their duties.

Try not to get involved in any arguments with other parties.

“You will be required to supply emergency services, police and others on scene with your personal, vehicle, insurance and medical aid details so keep them close by.”

Cooperate with police and know that your statement may be used at a later stage.

Always ensure that the towing company who will be removing your vehicle, has spoken to your insurer for approval.

Try to confirm this yourself, if you can.

Ask the towing company to elaborate on their storage fees as these can often amount to a small fortune.

Last but not least, you are legally required to report the incident to the South African Police within 24 hours.

In most instances, the police will arrive at the accident scene. Request a case number and note the name and rank of the attending officers.

Report the matter to your insurance company, as soon as possible.

In instances where there has been injuries or death, you may not leave the accident scene or remove vehicles or evidence until the police have attended the accident.