Take These Steps If Your Car Catches Fire After A New Haven Auto Accident

There are a lot of things you can do to prevent yourself from getting into a New Haven auto accident and avoid injury. The hope is that when you take certain steps to keep yourself safe that you will be less likely to get into a serious accident, but that is not always the case. In fact, even if you take all the safety precautions you can, sometimes an accident just happens and due the the nature of the accident you have no control over the outcome of the situation.

When an accident happens there are a number of things that could go wrong. You could get stuck in the vehicle and need to wait for help to come get you out of it. You could get seriously injured and need medical attention. Your car could get totaled and you may have extreme property damage, but escape with no medical conditions. All of these things are possible and potential outcomes of an accident. In most of these cases your best bet is to remain calm and stay still until help arrives.

There are certain scenarios that require you to take further action after an accident. One of those scenarios is if your car catches on fire as the result of the accident. A fire in or around your vehicle can be quite serious and can worsen the damage or injury caused by the original accident. It is important that you pay close attention to a fire that has started in or around your vehicle and you take the appropriate steps to avoid making your situation worse. The steps you should take if your vehicle is on fire will help keep you and your passengers safe.

Step #1: If your vehicle has not come to a complete stop after the initial accident and you see that there is smoke or fire you will want to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road safely. You should do this calmly, but as quickly as possible. Once you’ve pulled over to the side of the road make sure you flip on your hazard lights so others who are approaching can see you more easily.

Step #2: As soon as you are safely pulled over you will want to immediately shut off the vehicles engine. This will cut off the fuel supply which will help prevent the fire from spreading. If you leave the engine on a small fire can lead to an even bigger fire or worse an explosion which could cause significant injury or property damage.

Step #3: Once you have pulled over and have safely shut off the vehicle you will want to get out of the car and move as far away from it as possible. Make sure you pay close attention to getting any children or elderly passengers out of the vehicle and away from it as best you can. Do not worry about removing your belongings from the car because time is of the essence here. Everyone should be removed from the vehicle and should find a safe place to stand that is at least 100 feet away from the burning vehicle.

Step #4: Call 911. Your final step when your vehicle has caught fire due to an accident or other circumstance is to call 911 so they can send help. You should never attempt to put the fire out by yourself or leave the vehicle burning without notifying the authorities. If you don’t have a phone on you, you may need to ask someone who is standing near by to borrow a phone to call the authorities so that they can come and safely put the fire out.

Any time you are involved in a New Haven auto accident it can be scary and cause you to panic a little bit. When the accident then turns into a fire you may get even more nervous. The best thing you can do in this situation is to remain calm and get out of the situation as quickly and safely as possible. Once you’ve removed yourself from the situation you can then take stock in your mental health that may become affected by this traumatic situation.

Accidents happen and sometimes they lead to injuries or property damage. If you find yourself in a situation like this you may need to speak with an attorney who has experience with this type of incident. Contact our office and one of our attorneys will review your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests.