Go-to resources for when you need help after a car accident
We know how you feel right after a car accident. You’re discombobulated. You might be in pain. Everything’s off. You want to go home and get into bed. If someone could come and take care of everything, that’d be just great.
Normally, that doesn’t happen. No matter how bad the accident was, you’re usually required to hike up your pants, call your insurer, file the necessary paperwork and be at work on Monday.
It’s rough. We get it. That’s why we went and found some of the best resources we could for post-accident help, so we could try to make it just a little bit easier. Here’s some of what we’ve found (in no particular order).
- NerdWallet: What to Do After a Car Accident: This article lays out in clear, uncomplicated language what you need to do once you’ve been hit. The writer also takes care to remind you that even careful drivers sometimes find themselves in this unfortunate situation. Sometimes people need to be reminded of that. @NerdWallet, @DLFreedman
- Edmunds: What to Do After an Accident: Edmunds provides the standard battery of information along with some interesting statistics, a link for a DocuDent Auto Accident Kit to keep in your glove compartment and a post-accident report (like ours!). @AutoReed @EdmundsAPI
- KidsHealth: What to Do After a Car Crash: This writer presents important material from the point of view of a newly-licensed teenager, which provides a new perspective and a fresh take on the same ol’ story. There are also some great pop-out boxes with takeaway tidbits as well to break up the text.
- Ury & Moskow, LLC: 10 Things You Need to Do After a Car Accident: Lawyers have a penchant for statistics, and these guys have some numbers that nobody else has. They can make your jaws drop in just a few lines, and they use these effective punches to get their points across in a quick yet thorough way.
- S. News: 7 Steps to Take After a Fender Bender: This story is full of human interest and uses vivid storytelling to impart its wisdom. This is extremely helpful because it also discusses what to do when drivers speak different languages and/or want to avoid insurance all together – situations that arise often.
- FindLaw: After a Car Accident: First Steps: FindLaw is one of the heavy hitters in the informational legal sphere, and for good reason. All the material you could possibly need is right here. They even offer you a free claim review at the end of the article, which is just good customer service.
- Sansone & Lauber: What Should I Do After a Car Accident?: This one is mostly focused on Missouri, but the tips can be applied to any state. They also put a heavy emphasis on being treated for medical injuries even if you think you are uninjured, which is a crucial point that many people tend not to take seriously. This preserves a claimant’s right to bring a case later.
- wikiHow: How to Act After a Car Accident: One can never speak too highly of wikiHow. Their emphasis on visual imagery is legendary, and it gets the point across in a way that most articles can’t. They even include footnotes. Their writing system also allows for co-authors and ratings, which ensures that you are getting well-considered, thoughtful answers. This is also one of the only articles to mention that moving an injured person who is experiencing neck pain can cause paralysis, which is highly important and should be mentioned in all car accident-related pieces. The article also instructs you to keep a pain journal after the accident (like ours!).
- Lawyers.com: What to Do After an Automobile Accident: Short and sweet, that’s how this article does it. Lawyers.com gets the information out there on a website decorated with tasteful ads for attorneys who can help with your accident. They’re very unobtrusive, and one of them is even a quiz to match you with lawyers in your area. This piece also suggests keeping a post-accident journal in which you write your recollections about the accident and their effect on your day-to-day life. Here’s a post-accident journal for you to try out.
- Liberty Mutual: What to Do – And Not to Do – After a Car Accident: This one would be very helpful if you’re actually sitting in your wrecked car, trying not to hyperventilate after being T-boned by an SUV. Everything is presented in clear, short bursts of information. Nothing is difficult to digest. The text is broken up by images of tweets, which refreshes your gaze. Whatever you need is right there. They offer a checklist and an app post-accident resource, and contact information for claims adjusters is readily available.
- State Farm: What to Do After a Car Accident: State Farm focuses on what it knows, and that is insurance. They streamline the process by telling the reader exactly where to go on the site to start processing their claim, and then they offer some links for things like dent repair, emergency road services, auto damage programs and more. The information they offer about car accidents isn’t focused solely on clients, however, and could apply to anybody who needs help.
- Grange Insurance: In a Car Accident? Helpful Tips on What to Do Next: This article is set out neatly and provides necessary material with one very helpful twist: an acronym. When you’ve been in an accident, you can barely remember your own name, much less complicated instructions. It’s easier to think of something simple like “S-A-F-E!” (Safety first, Alert authorities, Fact collection, Exchange information).
- American Family Insurance: I Got in a Car Accident. Now What?: After all of the standard information, American Family reminds you about the most important thing: taking care of yourself. Their last tip is to check in with your body and make sure you feel 100% before getting back to your routine. This is very often overlooked in today’s overworked society, and you should remember to be kind to yourself after such a traumatic ordeal. @AmFam
And there you have it. These are the best post-accident resources we’ve found on the Internet, set forth here for your convenience. We hope they can offer you some help, comfort and direction.
Below is a helpful infographic about what to do after you get into a car accident.
Have you been in a car accident? Consider speaking with a car accident lawyer in the Enjuris law firm directory!
Have another site you think belongs in the top echelon of car accident resources? Drop us a note in the comments below!