How to Pick Up the Pieces After You Have Been Injured in an Accident

One day, car accidents will be a thing of the past. That day will only come once we remove human drivers from the equation. A number of companies are already working on the challenge. Even now, full driverless mode has been added to Tesla. As seen on Twitter, some fraction of cars on the road are already driving themselves without human interaction.

Unfortunately, that is not enough. Some experts fear the software isn’t ready for what it is being asked to do. Even if the software was more advanced, practically no one has it. Countless tons of glass and steel are being propelled at dizzying speeds by humans with failing vision, questionable reflexes, and short attention spans that are easily distracted.

California auto body shops have no shortage of customers who find themselves the victims of someone else’s distracted attention. Fenders get bent. Doors get dented. And windshields get dinged. There will be some amount of that even when humans are no longer doing the driving. There will always be auto insurance for that sort of thing. Life happens.

Being the victim is bad enough. Hurting someone else in an accident could undo a person emotionally. It is not even about assigning blame. Maybe your breaks failed at the least opportune time. You couldn’t stop at the pedestrian crossing. When you face a real-world trolley car experiment, nobody wins.

The other eventuality you face is that something awful happens to you while driving. Again, blame is not a factor. People are injured by car accidents everyday. No one leaves home for their morning commute expecting they will never walk again. No one has a plan for such an eventuality. And perhaps no one should. We couldn’t fully live it if we were constantly planning for the worst. That said, should your worst nightmare come to life by way of a life-altering injury, Here are a few tips for getting on with life.

Recovery Is Your First Duty

They say that if you find yourself in the custody of your enemies, your first duty is to escape. Even if it seems impossible, you should never stop trying. In the same way, when you are injured, your first duty is to recover no matter the cost.

You have to be prepared to do what it takes for as long as it takes to recover as much as you can. If you are a parent, get someone to help you with the kids. They need their mother to be well. You can’t help them if you are not. And you cannot recover without all the surgeries, procedures and therapy that your doctors or a physiotherapist near you have ordered. Shortcutting the process almost always ensures a lesser recovery than the one you could have had. Never let your frustration or impatience hinder your recovery. Getting better is job one.

Raid the College Fund

Pretty soon, financial stress kicks in. You will have to spend an extended time away from work. Most families can’t afford an extended time with no income. Now is the time to break open the piggy bank. This is what savings accounts are for.

Don’t let guilt stop you from doing what is necessary. Raid the college fund. Cash in the IRA. Sell the boat. You have assets for such a time as this. There is a time to store up for a rainy day. And there is a time to raid the storehouse. This is such a time.

Don’t Let Your Independence Be Your Downfall

Americans like to believe they are independent and can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. They think they can weather any storm. And they see asking for help as a weakness, even a failure. After your life has been catastrophically changed for the worse, that brand of independence can be the death of you.

The simple fact is that when you are injured, you need help from whatever source you can get it. Don’t worry about being a burden on your friends. Like savings accounts, that’s what friends are for. If they don’t come through for you in this moment, they weren’t really your friends.

It might be a good idea to have a general plan for catastrophic events. That plan could include money for extended unemployments such as retirement accounts you might have to raid. You will want to have someone you trust assigned to take care of your kids in case of an emergency. And you will definitely want the kind of friends who can help take care of you.

As millions can attest, there is life after an accident-related injury. And with the right recovery, finances, and friends, it can be a very good one.