eight Money-Smart Ways to Treat a Car Accident
By Laura Adams, Contributor | June Five, 2017, at Ten:38 a.m.
Even if there are no injuries and only minimal vehicle harm, call the police and file a report. (Getty Photos)
You’ve been in a car accident. Your adrenaline is pumping, and you’re not sure what to do next. How you react at the scene of an accident and instantaneously after can have a big influence on your financial life.
So, use these eight tips to treat a car accident wisely. They’ll help you prevent any further injuries, protect your legal rights and get your auto insurance claim processed as slickly as possible.
1. Stay tranquil. The very first thing to reminisce when involved in any mishap is to keep your wits about you and stay peaceful. You can’t help yourself or others when emotions spin out of control, and you’re not thinking clearly.
Even if you’re outraged at the other driver and want to lash out, don’t do it. It’s not productive and can undoubtedly work against you, even if you weren’t at fault. Just take a deep breath, bring your car to a accomplish stop, turn it off and use an emergency brake if you’re on an incline.
Two. Call an ambulance if someone needs medical care. If you’re injured, stay in your vehicle and let someone at the scene know you need help. If you’re OK, check for injuries to others and call an ambulance if needed. Don’t attempt to budge someone who’s been severely hurt to avoid further injuries.
Trio. Photograph the scene of the accident. Use a disposable camera, your phone’s camera or an insurer’s smartphone app to submit photos and information. Take photos from different angles to accurately capture the harm. And don’t leave behind to demonstrate skid marks, violated glass and debris on the ground.
Four. Stir your vehicle out of traffic. If your accident is minor and no one is hurt, be sure to stir your vehicle out of the way of traffic. But if it can’t be moved, turn on your hazard lights, or set out reflectors or flares you might have in a car emergency kit (check your vehicle and order one, if needed).
Five. Call the police and file a report. Even if there are no injuries and only minimal vehicle harm, call the police and file a report. An official statement verifies significant information that you could leave behind if sued by the other party months later. It’s possible to have a medical injury not evident at the time of a car crash.
If the police can’t come to the scene, you can go to the nearest police station to file a report while the details are fresh in your mind. If that’s not possible, file an accident report through your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. Put all the details – such as the date, time, location, injuries to vehicles and motorists, names of witnesses, and the sequence of events – in writing as quickly as possible.
6. Censor what you say. It’s good to be courteous to the other party involved, but don’t say too much. Even if you were at fault, don’t willingly admit anything to anyone at the scene – just stick to the facts.
If the other driver wants to discuss who’s at fault or the cost of damages, simply say your insurance adjuster will contact them. Let the police judge the events objectively and determine fault. In some cases, an officer may assign fault to both drivers.
7. Exchange insurance and contact information. Write down or email all pertinent information about the other driver or passengers, including:
- Driver names
- Passenger names
- Phone numbers
- Email addresses
- License plate numbers
- Insurance information
- Officer names or badge numbers
- Contact information for any witnesses
For convenience, keep a document in your glove compartment that contains your individual, vehicle and insurance information. That would be a big help to an infrequent driver, such as a friend or teenager, who might not know all the answers after an accident.
8. Report the accident to your insurance company. Eventually, report the accident to your auto insurance company by phone, smartphone app or online. Failing to notify your insurer instantaneously after an accident could crack of the terms of your policy and make it unlikely to file a claim at a later date.
If you have collision coverage, you or your auto bod shop will be reimbursed to pay for repairs. If the accident was your fault, the policy deductible will be deducted from your payment. And you can typically expect your auto insurance rate to rise at the next renewal period, unless accident forgiveness is built into your policy.
If you weren’t at fault, your rate generally won’t rise, and you’ll be fully reimbursed from the other party’s insurer. But if the driver doesn’t have adequate insurance, you can still recoup costs of vehicle harm and medical bills if you have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.