Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice Blog

What should I do if I witness a car accident?

A nineteen-year-old from Mahopac, New York is being hailed as a hero after he saved two seventeen-year-old girls from a car wreck. The driver of a 2009 Toyota Matrix was speeding on North Lake Boulevard when the vehicle lost control.  It slammed into a telephone pole before flipping over and landing in Lake Mahopac.

Fortunately for the two teenage girls, a fellow teen heard the accident from his driveway and sprang into action.  The hero called 911 then jumped into the lake to rescue the two girls from their vehicle.  With the door stuck from mud and water, the young man searched for a rock and broke the window.  He fished both girls out of the vehicle before the police arrived.  This young man’s heroic actions are now being celebrated by the car accident victims and local community.  

Helping Others After a Car Crash

If you witness a car accident, there are steps you can take to assist the accident victims, while not jeopardizing your own safety.  Follow these tips to become an everyday hero:

1. Ensure your safety:  If a car accident happens around you, pull over to the side of the road a safe distance from the scene of the crash and put on your hazard lights.
2. Call 911:  Call 911 to report the accident and ensure emergency responders are on the way.  Do not make the mistake of assuming someone else has already called.  When you reach a 911 dispatcher, provide complete and accurate information about the crash, including its location and the condition of the accident victims.  
3. Check on the accident victims:  If it is safe to approach the scene of the accident, you can attempt to check on the condition of the accident victims.  It is important that you do not move the accident victims unless there is an urgent danger, such as a fire or the vehicle is submerged in water.  Moving an accident victim could further his or her injuries.