* Disclaimer: Someone will get triggered by this post *

Hello everyone!

Some of you may already know I was recently in a car crash with my boyfriend. We were stopped on a busy road about to turn left when we were rear ended by a woman on her phone traveling 40 mph. The car spun 150 degrees on the road and ended up with minimal wreckage for what it could have been. We're still waiting to find out if the car was totalled or not. Our airbags didn't go off based on the way we were spun, but the driver who hit us was injured by her airbags.

Everyone involved in the car accident is alright, besides some scraps and bruises and sore necks, but now in the days after the accident is when we're finding more and more issues. 

Here's my advice to you in case any of you ever find yourselves in the position I found myself in over the weekend.

1) Get medical attention. After an accident, your body is coursing with adrenaline and hormones, so you might feel okay for hours to days after the accident, but you could have a serious injury. Whether you go to the hospital directly after the accident, or to an urgent care or ER the day it happens, make sure you're assessed. I pushed off the visit until the day after the crash, and experienced serious neck pain for 2 days following the accident. I was lucky. My boyfriend is still experiencing pain from the accident, and I can only assume that the woman who rear-ended us isn't fully recovered either. Get medical help. Please.

2) Make sure you call your country's emergency number (here in the US, it's 911) directly after the accident. Whether or not it was a serious crash, the police should be involved, and records need to be taken of the damage and injuries at the scene. 

3) Contact your insurance and obtain information for the other driver's insurance. This is a stressful time. Your car is probably going to be out of sorts for a period of time, and you need to make sure your insurance is able to step in and handle what they can.

4) Look into getting a rental car. While your vehicle is damaged, you're going to have to get around somehow. If you weren't responsible for the accident, the other drivers insurance should be able to pay for the expense for you, however until their insurance comes through you may have to pay for it out of pocket and be reimbursed later on. It's not ideal, but at least you won't be stranded having to rely on others for rides. 

5) Try to remain calm. There's only so much you can control, only so much you have power over. Don't stress over what you can't fix. No one wants to get in an accident. No one wants to have their car they've worked on and improved for two years ruined. But at the end of the day, so long as you and your loved ones are okay, you still have what matters.