Practical advice following an accident

When an accident happens our natural instincts put our body on alert – adrenaline is released into our blood stream, our heart beats faster and our senses become more acute. This is the body’s way of defending itself when it’s under attack and it helps to prevent us feeling pain.

Our normal reaction when we’re injured is for us to want to move away from the scene of the accident (and further potential danger) as soon as possible.

Despite this instinct to take flight, there are a number of things you can do at the accident scene, which will help you if you later decide to make a personal injury claim. However, your safety and welfare is always the priority following an accident. If you are unable to do so at the time, return as soon as you can, or ask a friend if they can do the following:

  • Take photographs of the scene of the accident, both close-up and wide angle. These may include floor coverings or holes in the ground, skid marks on the road, faulty items and pictures of the injury itself. Use a ruler if possible, to show the scale of the defect.


  • Get the contact details of witnesses who saw the accident happen


  • Find out if anyone else has been injured in a similar accident and if it was reported to the person responsible (it will greatly help your claim if this person was aware of the accident risk, yet did nothing to prevent it happening again.)


  • Following an accident at work, shop or in a public place, report the accident to a manager and make sure they write it in their accident book  


  • If the police attend the accident, make sure you get the contact details of the officer who you spoke to. They may contact you after the accident and ask you to give a statement.


  • If you were involved in a road traffic accident, get the name, address, phone number and insurance details of the other drivers. Also write down the make, model, colour and registration numbers of the cars involved, in case you are given false or incorrect details. Drivers can often be traced with as little information as a car registration number.


  • Our body’s natural defenses mask the pain of some injuries, such as whiplash – so make sure seek medical attention as soon as possible following the accident, even if you feel well.


  • Call YouClaim as soon as possible following the accident. We’ll give you free and impartial advice and discuss all your options with you, without any obligation or pressure to proceed with making a claim.

Free legal advice
If you have been injured in an accident as a result of someone else’s negligence, do take advantage of our free legal advice service. Even if you’re not sure whether you want to make claim, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about making an accident claim and discuss all your options with you. You can then decide whether to make a claim, without any pressure or obligation from us to proceed.

Considering an accident claim?
From the minute you contact us our service is totally cost free. We never take a penny from our customers, and unlike other companies, we do not make any deductions from our customer’s compensation. See No win no fee, for more information about our no risk service.

Call us now on 0800 10 757 95 , and we’ll tell you everything you need to know about making an accident claim.

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