How Can You Prevent Serious Injury During a Car Accident?

When a negligent driver is in your path, there’s not always a way to avoid an accident. This is evident from the thousands of crashes that occur every year on Ohio’s roads. While you may be unable to prevent the collision from happening, it’s important to know there are ways to prevent or reduce your risk of serious injury before, during, and after impact.

Precautions to Take Before Getting Behind the Wheel

While crashes and the related injuries aren’t always avoidable, there are steps you can take before driving away to reduce your risk of injury if you do find yourself to be the victim of a crash.

• Wear Your Seatbelt. Seatbelts are designed to save lives and reduce the severity of injuries in the event of a wreck. Buckling up is one of the most important things you can do when entering any vehicle. It’s also important to ensure your passengers are properly restrained. Young occupants should have the right safety restraint system for their age and size.
• Sit Up Properly. A vehicle’s airbags and seatbelts work best when you are sitting properly. As the driver, you should be sitting up straight, have both your hands on the wheel, and be a safe, comfortable distance away from the steering wheel. Passengers should never have their feet on the dashboard and should also remain in an upright position.
• Store Items Safely. You most likely have a number of loose objects in your car, like your cell phone or water bottle. To avoid these objects becoming airborne during a collision and causing injuries, make sure they are secured properly.

Preventing Injuries During an Auto Accident

If you realize you’re about to be in an accident, adrenaline will flood your system and your body may start to act before your mind can fully process what is happening. There are steps you can take during the few seconds in which the crash takes place to avoid sustaining serious injuries.

• Abide By the Speed Limit. The faster your vehicle is going, the stronger the force of the impact will be. If you are following the posted speed limit, especially in residential areas where the limits are lower, you reduce your chance of injury upon impact. If you find yourself getting into an accident on an interstate at higher speeds, do what you can to slow down prior to impact.
• Know How Your Car Works. It’s important to understand how your car’s braking system works and whether or not you have any built-in features that will react during an accident. If you are unaware of these technologies, your actions could work against them.
• Avoid Head-On Collisions. Head-on collisions are the deadliest. If you know another vehicle is headed straight for you, it can be difficult to know how to react. While swerving could result in a sideswipe accident, chances are the injuries will be less severe.

Avoiding Making Collision Injuries Worse

Immediately following an accident, it’s likely you’ll find yourself needing to make some decisions quickly – especially when it comes to medical attention. Unfortunately, there are ways to exacerbate collision injuries. Take the following into consideration to avoid making your injuries worse.

• Seek Medical Attention. No matter how you feel after an accident, it’s important to been seen and treated by a medical professional. If, at the scene of the accident, you find that you cannot move, do not try to force yourself. You could be dealing with a neck, back, or spinal cord injury. If someone else at the scene is unconscious, avoid moving their head, neck, or back. Call 911 immediately.
• Follow Your Doctor’s Advice. Recovery may take longer than you’d like. It’s imperative to listen to your doctor and follow through with the established treatment plan. You are likely to worsen your injuries if you do not.
• Avoid Going Back to Work to Soon. It’s understandable to want to return to work as quickly as possible after an accident, especially if finances are a concern. If you have not been medically cleared or do not feel you are ready, you could make your injuries worse.

If you find yourself to be the victim of an auto collision, our lawyers are here for you. We understand how difficult it can be to focus on reestablishing order and recovering from injuries while simultaneously trying to deal with insurance companies. We can help you manage your claim and put you on track to receive the compensation you need to recover physically, emotionally, and financially. To learn more about your legal options, schedule a free consultation with us today.