The stress and panic that you feel after you are involved in an accident with your children in the car might be debilitating. If this happens to you, the first thing that you should do is to check yourself for injuries. You should then check your children. If anyone is hurt and needs medical care immediately, contact emergency services right away. Here are some other points to remember after the crash.
Emotional trauma might occur
It is possible that your child will fell the stress of the accident for a long time after it occurs. Younger children might be afraid to get back into a vehicle if the crash scared them or if they were injured. Older children might be apprehensive of having to get on the road. Post-traumatic stress is possible after a car crash, so be sure to check on your child periodically to determine if anything is amiss. If your child doesn’t seem to be overcoming the stress of the accident, seeking help from a counselor or another mental health professional might be necessary.
Car seats might need to be replaced
Car seats absorb part of the impact of a crash in order to keep a child safe. If you were in an accident that was serious, involved injuries, or resulted in either car needing to be towed, you will need to replace your child’s car sat. Each car seat manufacturer has specific rules about when a car seat needs to be replaced, so be sure you find out right away how to handle your car seat. For example, Peg Perego, Britax, and Fisher Price all allow for car seats to be used again after a minor accident. Chicco, Graco, and Safety 1st don’t allow for car seats to be reused after any accident. Generally, your insurance claim should pay for the cost of the replacing the car seat. This is also something that you can consider if you opt to seek compensation for the accident.
Monitoring your child is vital
Some injuries don’t show up right away after a car crash. It is imperative that you monitor your child. Ideally, you should take your child for a check-up by the pediatrician even if you don’t think that there were any injuries. If you notice that your child is starting to act strangely or if your child starts to complain about anything, seeking medical care is crucial.