How to Support a Friend After a Car Accident

How to Support a Friend After a Car Accident


A car accident is a difficult time, not only for the person involved but for the people closest to them. When a friend or a loved one has been through this experience, you might wonder how to show your support. We’ve got a few tips on how you can be there by your friend’s side as they work their way back to good health and good spirits.

Take Them to Visits

Often, when someone is in a car accident, they will need to go to a few appointments. Whether it’s an auto injury doctor who specializes in car accidents, visits to the insurance agency, or any other situation where your friend needs to get out of the house, it’s extremely helpful to have a pal by their side. For one reason, those who have been in a car accident may have trouble driving with confidence (or be unable to due to injury), and for another, your emotional support will be priceless in this situation.

Keep Up With Important Documents

In addition to traveling with your friend to their appointments, help them keep track of important documents. After an auto accident, insurance needs to be dealt with and documents from doctor’s visits can get misplaced — and the last thing they want to happen is vital information hiding when it’s needed most. Help your friend keep track of these documents — offer to help them establish a folder for the important bits and use sticky notes to help them know what’s what.

Provide Helpful Next Step Tips

When recovering from a car accident, it can be difficult to keep in mind the logical next steps. If your friend needs to see a doctor, remind them they need to go within a certain amount of time (the Personal Injury Protection part of their auto insurance mandates they see a doctor within two weeks of the accident). Urge them to go to a doctor that is set up to bill PIP insurance (not all do) and mark their calendars for any other appointments they need to keep.

Bring Dinner

After a car accident, the last thing someone might want to do is deal with dinner, so do it for them. Buy a pizza (or a few, if they have a family), make a salad, and call it a night. Providing a meal not only keeps them fed, but also shows that you really care.

Remain Compassionate

Last but certainly not least: Remain compassionate. Be a listening ear, and don’t tell them how they should feel. Instead, let them know that you’re there if they need you, and instead of interspersing your own stories about accidents you’ve been in, let them vent, complain or completely break down. Pass no judgment.

When your friend or family member is in a car accident, your support is vital. You can help sort through the must-dos, whisk them to their needed appointments, and provide comfort when things get stressful. Your friend will appreciate your solid support after a car accident, so be there for them in their time of need.

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