Should I Continue Driving My Car After a Car Accident?
It can be a bit of a tricky decision to decide whether your car is driveable—and whether you should continue to drive it. You may be wondering “Should I continue driving my car after a car accident?”
If your car will not even start after the collision, contact a towing service immediately. However, if you were involved in a minor fender bender and the damage appears to be only cosmetic, you are likely okay to drive your car to a body shop.
If there are any parts scraping against the ground or your tires, call a tow truck—a dragging part could finish falling off after your accident, causing another accident. If you see any fluids leaking from the car, it is safer to call a towing service—your gas tank could be punctured, or your car could be leaking oil.
If anything about the car just doesn’t feel right, it is always a better idea to have the car towed. If you do decide to drive your car after an accident use caution, as there could be issues you cannot see which could potentially pose a threat to your safety.
There is another issue associated with driving vs. not driving your vehicle after a collision: If you drive your vehicle for a week or two weeks before you take it to a body shop, the insurer could potentially say that some of the damage occurred after the initial accident.
Do I Need a Car Accident Attorney?
Click here to learn more about whether or not it would be helpful for your case to hire a car accident attorney.
What Should I Do Next?
Above all, we’re here to help. The most important thing to start doing right away is to take detailed notes of your accident, your expenses, any lost wages, etc. Then, it’s incredibly important that you find an experienced personal injury attorney to help represent you.
We understand that every client’s case is unique, and we want to answer the many questions you probably have. Contact one of our attorneys to set up a free consultation.
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