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Can We Talk About Car Accident Protocol?
I had a very scary near-accident on Monday and it got me thinking about how I am no longer up with all I need to do, should one happen. I know about exchanging information (yay, handy dandy insurance form that walk me through that). But, some other things I don't know, like:
As long as the car is drivable should I move it out of the traffic lane, or is there some other standard?
If the damage looks like it will be over $1k, in VA you are supposed to call the police. Does VA have a general police number since there are so many jurisdictions?
I have been conditioned to only call 911 in a life-or-death emergency, but in a car accident are there other appropriate times?
If a child is in a car seat, can I move the child out of the car seat or does he have to be checked by a medic first? (I think I've heard that, but maybe I am making that up.) If so, does that mean we call 911 or is that something the police will advise us on?
Re: Can We Talk About Car Accident Protocol?
I was in an accident last fall. The cars were initially blocking both lanes of traffic going in one direction and since they were moveable (mine only barely) we moved them so at least we were only in one lane. Each jurisdiction probably has a non-emergency police number, but in an accident you probably won't remember it! I just called 911 and told them about the accident and that there were no injuries. The dispatcher didn't seem annoyed that I had "wasted" her time on a non-emergency. We were definitely going to need a police report, so I needed to get through to the police somehow.
I didn't have DD in the car with me, but I probably would have wanted to contain her in the car seat after the accident while my adrenaline rush wore off. I was pretty shaky for a while. I haven't heard that every child needs to be checked by a medic. You could certainly ask the dispatcher if/when you call 911 - they should have enough training to know that answer.
I'm glad you're OK!
I keep the Ffx Co non-emergency phone number in my cell phone: 703-691-2131. I *knock on wood* haven't had to use it, but I would use it if there were no injuries.
I'm not sure about your other questions though...
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I think a lot of this depends on the severity of the accident. If the cars are drivable, they should be moved out of the traffic lanes if possible (this is assuming there is a shoulder you can move them to).
I've never heard about calling the police if the damage is over $1k. I've only called the police if it was a major accident where medical attention was needed or if you can't move your car. I think it's fine to call 911 for that. For a fender bender, if my kid seemed ok, I'd probably just call his pedi to get him checked out. For a major accident, it depends if I'm worried about head/neck injuries (you're not supposed to move people if you suspect a head/neck injury). But I think my natural instinct would be to get him out of the car.
Thanks for the ideas and answers!
In terms of the $1k law (versus just wisdom of always getting a police report), here is a handy dandy spreadsheet that shows the mandatory reporting rules in each state...
http://dmvanswers.com/questions/356/When-do-I-have-to-file-an-accident-report
I am pretty sure if you dial #77 from your cellphone in VA, you will get the non-emergency dispatch. They will ask you what county/where you are and then transfer you to the nearest local police non-emergency.
Also, Loudoun non-emergency is 703.777.1021.