What to Do After an Automobile Accident

An automobile accident can be a scary experience. Here are a few tips you should follow after an accident to protect yourself from more stress after wards.

STAY CALM

This, by far, is the most valuable piece of information in this article. Immediately following an car accident everyone involved is a little shook up. There may or may not be injuries involved. Vehicles are damaged, and there are fingers pointing blame at who may be at fault.

Assess the situation with a level head. If there is anyone with injuries, of if you are hurt yourself, dial 911 and request assistance. Head and spinal injuries are dangerous. You should leave moving an injured person with either of these injuries to professionals trained in removing a person from their vehicle.

CALL 911

This should be done immediately if there are injuries involved. If no one is hurt, you still need to file a formal police report, regardless of the extent of damage involved. This protects you whether you were at fault or not.

The days of exchanging insurance information and shaking hands are long gone. You need an impartial representative to document the facts at the scene of the accident, take witness statements, and assess fault. If you are the at fault party, this protects you from false damages and injuries possibly surfacing later. I have seen a $200 dent turn into a $25,000 claim because the at fault party was trusting the other person involved.

Do not speak with the other party about the accident at this time. If someone is hurt, medical assistance is on the way. Tempers could flare, making a bad situation worse. Remember, stay calm, and wait for police assistance.

PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE

Depending on where your accident occurred, you may be at risk to causing another accident or getting hit again. Immediately put on your hazard lights. This notifies other drivers around you to proceed with caution. If you are in an are where moving the vehicles would be in the best interests of everyone involved, then do so. Assess the situation with a level head. There are alot of factors to consider.

If proving who is at fault can only be determined by the position of the vehicles, leave them until the police arrive. I recommend every driver have an "accident kit" in their vehicle, complete with a camera, notebook and pen, and hazard cones or triangles. If you have a camera, and need to move your vehicle, take pictures of the accident scene before the vehicles are moved. This is your evidence.

If traffic permits, move your vehicle to the far side of the road. Depending on the severity of the accident, this may allow the flow of traffic to resume and prevent another accident from occurring. Keep your hazard lights on until the police have arrived on the scene and taken their report. Cut them off only when you are leaving and everything is over. Your hazard lights reinforces to everyone around you they need to proceed with caution.

WITNESSES

Anyone that stops is a potential witness. Most people that witnessed an accident are going to stop, ask if you are okay, and continue about their business. At the end of the day, you are left with a memory of faces, but no actual witnesses unless someone stops and waits with you for police to arrive. When someone stops to ask about your welfare, ask if they saw what happened. Find out what they saw. If they did see the accident, get their name and telephone number (with your handy notebook and pen). An eye witness is another impartial person that can help protect you during the claims process.

DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT

Immediately following an accident emotions run high, You may be scared, injured, or even angry. Now is the best time to compile as much information as you can while it is fresh on your mind.

If you are equipped with a camera and your injuries do not prevent it, take pictures of everything. Your vehicle, their vehicle, surroundings, anything that may be important to your claim.

Write down the make and models of vehicles involved, license plates if possible, witness information, vehicle placement, and an accurate description of what exactly happened. One key thing is the description of the driver, especially if there were more than one person in the other vehicle. Many times the person driving before an accident isn't the person reported on the police report. I have even seen drivers leave the scene of an accident before police arrive, only for a different "driver" to return and take the blame. All of this will be important during the claims process.

Document all damages and injuries to yourself, the other driver, and any passengers involved. If there are any skid marks, damaged poles or anything else- write it down and take pictures if possible.

THE POLICE REPORT

Do not discuss the accident, cause, or assess who is at fault with the other party. Save that for the police report. The police officer will document who he believes is at fault based on several factors. He or she will consider witnesses at the scene, damages, location of the accident, traffic, and who's story seems the most believable.

If you are injured, or feel any pains attributed to the accident, inform the officer of this. A small pain now can be a larger pain later. Make sure the injuries to your passengers, if any, are documented as well.

Provide the officer with your insurance information and be sure that the other party's insurance information is documented as well. If you believe that someone should receive a traffic ticket or infraction based on the accident, inquire about it with the officer and find out if any citations or tickets will be issued. Be sure to request a copy of the police report. Some localities may be able to provide a copy to you on the spot. Others have a waiting period, normally a couple of days, and you have to go and request it from the police station or download it on-line.

The responding police officer is usually the first "judge" in the automobile accident claims process. His opinion is not only the first one, but is also the one that others will base their opinion on. That is why you need to be prepared with facts and cold-hard evidence. Your pictures and witnesses show what happened before the officer came on the scene and are harder to dispute than an opinion of what happened.

CALL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY
When the smoke clears and you have completed your police report, now is the time you contact your insurance company. Notify them of the accident, and all damages and injuries involved if any. Keep in mind they are not only looking out for your best interest, but their best interest as well. Your documentation of the chain of events, witness information and pictures will ensure that their best interest is your best interest as well.

Provide the insurance company with a listing of any damages, including any personal property inside of the vehicle that may have been damaged in the accident. Any injuries sustained or pains should be reported to your insurance company immediately.

Depending on how bad the accident was and what coverages you have, your insurance company may be able to get your vehicle towed and a rental car for your use. Those two coverages are optional on your insurance policy. If you do not have coverage for towing or a rental car, it may be in your best interest to add it. Those small additions only add a couple extra dollars a month to your policy and can save you a lot of headaches.