What to Do If Your Car Overturns During an Accident

A rollover accident, especially one where the car overturns, is serious. The risk of injuries continues even after the car comes to a stop. Thus, you need to know how to deal with the situation before it happens. Preparedness will help you mitigate injuries in such situations. Below are some tips on what to do in case your car overturns during a car accident.

Calm Down
The first step is to remind yourself to calm down. Otherwise, you might panic and cause or experience further injuries. For example, you might even struggle to get out of the car if you are panicking. Don't forget that you are likely to be in shock after an accident.

Deep breathing will help you calm down. If you have passengers, talk to them calmly to get them to calm down too. Some people, especially children, might panic if they sense anxiety in your voice.

Switch Off the Engine
Switch off the engine if possible. This advice is especially useful to the driver since they will be nearest to the controls. Also, switching off the engine will turn off fuel flow and switch off most electronics, thereby reducing fire risk.

However, you should only bother with the engine if you aren't in immediate danger. If you can sense smoke or fire, your first priority should be getting out of the car.

Check for Injuries
Check for injuries once you manage to switch off the engine. Pat yourself down, move your limbs, and flex your muscles to see if anywhere hurts. Ask your passengers to do the same.

The idea is to determine whether anyone has serious injuries. Serious injuries mean you should call emergency services right away. Don't try to get those with serious injuries out of the car - you might worsen their injuries. For example, a neck injury might worsen if you handle the victim improperly.

Exit the Car
Get out of the car if you don't have any serious injuries. Note that getting out of an overturned car might be more difficult than getting out of an upright car. These tips can help:

• Use one arm to brace yourself against the car's roof as you unbuckle the seatbelt.
• Use your hips and legs to cushion your fall.
• Check if you can open the door.
• Roll down the windows or find something to break them if the doors are stuck.

If the car has multiple occupants, those who get out first should help the other occupants.

Stay Off the Road
Once you get out of the car, you risk further accidents caused by other road users - unless your car rolled completely off the road. Get away from the car if it is still on the road. Don't bother trying to retrieve your belongings once everyone is out. You will get to those items once it is safe to do so, such as once the police arrive and are in control of the situation.

Call the Police
Call the police once you are out of the danger zone. Calling the police is a requirement, but it also helps to prevent further accidents and helps to document the accident because the police will generate a report.

Don't leave the accident scene before the police arrive unless you require emergency medical care.

Preserve Evidence
Preserve as much evidence as possible if you can. Evidence preservation involves:

• Taking pictures of the accident scene or injuries
• Getting contacts and identification of others involved in the accident
• Getting identification and contacts of potential witnesses

Remember not to admit liability for the crash. You will probably be confused immediately after the accident. Instead, preserve the evidence and let the authorities and your lawyer handle the liability issues.

Frank W. Thompson Attorney At Law has practiced injury law for over 35 years. We have what it takes to help you get the compensation you deserve after an accident. Contact us for a consultation to determine the way forward.