Having Your World Flipped Upside Down: What to Do After a Rollover Accident

There are well over 6 million car accidents that take place every year. Fortunately, most of them are little more than minor fender-benders.

But every now and then, there is a rollover accident thrown into the mix. These types of car accidents are obviously a lot more serious in nature and can be extremely scary for those involved in them.

What is a rollover accident? Well, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. During a rollover accident, a car will flip over and land on its roof, which can really put both the driver of a vehicle and their passengers into harm’s way.

In a perfect world, you won’t ever be involved in a rollover accident. But just in case you ever are, you should know what to do after a rollover accident.

Find out what to do if you’re ever involved in one of these types of car accidents below.

Shut Off Your Car Immediately

There is a decent chance that your car might shut off on its own following a rollover accident. But if it doesn’t, the very first thing you should do after getting into this kind of accident is turn your car off.

You might be a little bit dazed and confused for the first few moments after a rollover accident. But once you’re able to get your bearings, you should shut your car off and take your keys out of the ignition. It should help to stop further issues with your car.

Check Yourself and Others for Injuries

After you’ve turned your car off following a rollover accident, you should then move on to checking both yourself and your passengers for injuries. There are all kinds of different injures that you might sustain during a rollover accident.

It’s not uncommon for people to break their ankles and legs when rollover accidents occur. It’s also not uncommon for them to sustain head and neck injuries.

You should take stock of any injuries that you might have so that you know how to proceed. You’re going to want to be extra careful about trying to get out of your car if you have any injuries that might prohibit you from doing it.

Exit Your Car Safely

If you feel like you’re OK to exit your car on your own, you should do this next. You don’t want to sit inside of a car that’s flipped over for too long since it could potentially catch on fire at any moment or experience other issues.

That being said, you want to be very careful when exiting a car that has flipped over. A lot of the injuries that occur during rollover accidents actually take place when people are trying to get out of their vehicles.

You should brace yourself before taking your seat belt off and then remove it while lowering yourself down towards the ground. You should also figure out how you’re going to get out of your car once you reach the ground.

In some cases, you might be able to crawl right out of a window that broke during your rollover accident (just look out for any sharp shards of glass that might be lingering around!). In others, you might have to break a window to climb out of your car.

You should move quickly when exiting a car that has flipped over. But you should also be strategic about how you do it so that you don’t injure yourself in the process.

Call the Police

More often than not, someone is going to see you get into a rollover accident and call the police for you. But if you don’t think anyone has called the cops yet, you should pick up your phone and dial 911 after escaping from your overturned car.

You should scan the area to see where you are so that you can let a 911 operator know. You should also be ready to inform a 911 operator of any injuries that anyone may have suffered during your rollover accident.

Seek Medical Attention

Even if you feel fine following a rollover accident, it’s always a good idea to seek medical attention if you can. All of the adrenaline coursing through your veins in the immediate aftermath of a rollover accident might disguise any injuries that you suffered and prevent you from feeling any pain until later.

You should let a paramedic and/or a doctor check you out from head to toe to see if they can spot any signs of injuries. It’ll provide you with some peace of mind as you move forward.

Contact Your Auto Insurance Company

At some point following your rollover accident, you’ll need to inform your auto insurance company as to what happened. They’ll want to talk to you about your rollover accident, and they’ll also want to speak with anyone else who was involved in it.

You should collect insurance information from any other drivers who were involved in your rollover accident. You should also see if you can find anyone who witnessed the crash so that your insurance company can get their version of what went down.

Get in Touch With a Rollover Accident Lawyer

A rollover accident is usually a whole lot more complicated than a regular car accident. So you should strongly consider hiring a Miami car accident lawyer to help you work your way through everything that will happen after it.

You might get stuck with a big pile of auto repair and medical bills. A lawyer can show you how to get your hands on the money that you deserve so that you’re able to make a successful recovery from your rollover accident.

Knowing What to Do After a Rollover Accident Is Essential

Getting into a rollover accident is no fun at all. But you can make it a little less painless than it would be otherwise by knowing what to do after a rollover accident is over.

Use the tips found here if you’re ever in a car crash that results in your vehicle flipping over. They’ll help you to recover from your accident and get your life back to normal in no time.

Get more helpful advice on what to do following a car accident by reading the other articles found on our blog.