Reporting a Car Accident With Injuries in St. Louis Missouri
The first thing to do if you are involved in a car accident in St. Louis or anywhere else in Missouri is to contact local law enforcement by dialing 911. If you car accident takes place on highway in Missouri, the 911 call will be routed to the closest EMT service and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Ambulance personnel and law enforcement will typically arrive within several minutes of the call. If you car accident involves only minor damage and no serious injuries, Missouri law requires that you move off of the highway onto the shoulder, as long as this can be accomplished safely without endangering yourself and others on the road.
If the car accident takes place in a rural area in Missouri, you are still best off by calling 911. Emergency operators will route the dispatch to the closest ambulance service and likely to a local sheriff's office. If the car accident involves serious or life-threatening injuries, 911 operators will likely dispatch AIR EVAC or another life-flight service that can arrive at the scene quick and transport injured drivers and/or passengers to the closest level-one trauma center. Many rural area hospital and med stops are not equipped to handle catastrophic injuries that can result from head-on car accidents in outlying areas throughout Missouri.
If you witness a car accident, it is also recommended that you dial 911 and report the accident to authorities. This is important for several reasons. First, the persons injured in the crash may be incapacitated or unable to locate their phone to call for help. Second, persons injured in car accidents sometimes find it hard to communicate due to shock or excess adrenaline in the blood supply. Third, when you contact authorities, they will ask for your contact information in the event that you need to provide witness testimony in the future. This can be extremely beneficial to assisting in the resolution of an injury claim or property damage claim down the line. Often times it comes down to the testimony of independent witnesses to a car accident.
If the car accident takes place in a rural area in Missouri, you are still best off by calling 911. Emergency operators will route the dispatch to the closest ambulance service and likely to a local sheriff's office. If the car accident involves serious or life-threatening injuries, 911 operators will likely dispatch AIR EVAC or another life-flight service that can arrive at the scene quick and transport injured drivers and/or passengers to the closest level-one trauma center. Many rural area hospital and med stops are not equipped to handle catastrophic injuries that can result from head-on car accidents in outlying areas throughout Missouri.
If you witness a car accident, it is also recommended that you dial 911 and report the accident to authorities. This is important for several reasons. First, the persons injured in the crash may be incapacitated or unable to locate their phone to call for help. Second, persons injured in car accidents sometimes find it hard to communicate due to shock or excess adrenaline in the blood supply. Third, when you contact authorities, they will ask for your contact information in the event that you need to provide witness testimony in the future. This can be extremely beneficial to assisting in the resolution of an injury claim or property damage claim down the line. Often times it comes down to the testimony of independent witnesses to a car accident.
