Key steps to take after a car accident

Key steps to take after a car accident

According to statistics released by the Cyprus Police, there are around 1,000 car accidents in Cyprus per year. There are also dozens that are not included in the official figures because the Police are not called in.

In this article, we refer to the steps that a person must take when he is involved in a road traffic accident, provided that he is conscious and able to communicate.

The list is not exhaustive but indicative.

What do I do when I get involved in a car accident?

The first thing to bear in mind is that in road traffic accidents it is crucial who bears responsibility for the accident.

The insurance of the driver who is responsible has to pay for the damages.

The second thing we need to know is that insurance companies always try two things:

• avoid liability and/or
• reduce the consequences of the accident in order to pay as little compensation as possible.

So the more information we collect as regards the circumstances the accident took place, the better.

From our experience, the key steps we should keep in mind when we are involved in an accident:

Basic steps to take after a car accident.

First we notify a relative or close person and ask for help if needed.

We call the police if it’s a serious accident and people were injured. We can call the help line number 1460.

We call our insurer and inform him of the accident.

We take pictures from our mobile phone of the vehicles involved, especially where they are damaged.

We note the details of the drivers involved in particular name, no. registration of another vehicle, driver’s phone, identity card, insurer’s phone number of the other driver.

If the Police comes to the scene we record the names of the police officers.

We do not sign any form given to us by an insurance company or another driver without consulting our lawyer. In particular, we do not sign release papers for insurance companies.

If we have been injured or feel dizzy we go immediately to the first aid of the general or other hospital for medical treatment.

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