Right after an accident, it’s pretty hard to regain control of your senses. Who’s hurt? What car accident laws do you have to follow? Do you need to call law enforcement or your insurance company? There’s a lot that needs answering.
Because car accidents are traumatic incidents, drivers take many wrong turns and maximize their financial and physical losses.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll show you what steps you can take to prevent this from happening to yourself.
1. Make Sure Everyone Is Safe
Before anything else, it’s imperative to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Here are some things you can do to guarantee this:
• Turn on the emergency flashers and get out of your vehicle
• If you think that the accident has gone out of hand and there are serious injuries requiring emergency assistance on the crash site, call 911. Even if the situation isn’t that dire, getting law enforcement on the scene is the best course of action.
• To make sure other cars don’t collide and aggravate the collision site, light up some flares, if possible.
• Don’t leave the scene until the police arrive and give you the green light.
2. Exchange Relevant information
After ensuring the safety of everyone, it’s time to start documenting the events, while making sure you don’t breach your rights.
Here are the steps you need to take:
• Take photographs of the cars and the crash debris
• Never admit your guilt. While this behavior may seem polite or “right thing to do” it might hurt you if you’re involved in a lawsuit, and have to go to court. If medical attention is needed, you can do it without apologizing or accepting any wrongdoing on your part.
• Exchange contact information with the other participants of the collision. This information will come in handy when you’ll have to file an insurance claim. Here are the details you need to ask for:
a. Name, phone number, and home address of the other drivers.
b. Their insurance details.
c. Their license plate numbers.
d. The model, make, and year of their automotive.
e. Pictures of the crash site, including those showcasing vehicular damage.
f. Contact details of any law enforcement personnel present on the scene.
3. Determine What Car Insurance Coverage Is Applicable
The insurance courage will depend on several factors, such as the type of courage each driver is liable for and who was originally at fault for the accident. In the scenario, you weren’t at fault, here’s what the other driver’ insurance coverage cover:
• Property damage to your vehicle, depending on the policy limit medical expenses of you and anyone who was with you in the car at the time of the accident up to the bodily injury limit of the other driver’s insurance. Your insurance policy, on the other hand, will provide:
• If your state allows personal injury protection (PIP) insurance, and you’ve signed up for it, it will cover your medical expenses, lost wages and services, and in some cases funeral bills.
• If the other driver’s insurance falls short, your uninsured or underinsured coverage will come into play and pay for property damage.
Remember, getting in touch with your car insurance company is vital to understand how getting into a car accident will impact your insurance.
4. Contact your insurance Company
Next, you need to get your insurance company in the loop and give them a detailed report of the incident. This will allow your insurance firm to start the claim building process and send an insurance agent to the scene for assistance and assessment if needed.
Even if you think the accident isn’t that serious, calling your insurance company is the safest bet. In addition to providing you an additional layer of protection, it might also be obligatory on you as part of your insurance contract.
You might also experience delayed injuries, the medical bills of which your insurance provider may deny to cover at a later time. And if the other driver decides to take the high road and take legal action, and you haven’t filled your insurance company in, it might deny coverage.
Bottom line: Failure to act quickly may put your financial compensation in jeopardy.
5. Call A Car Accident Attorney
After the insurance company, your next stop is a reputable car accident lawyer. To make sure you are protected in every scenario, and follow every car accident law in the book, this step is the best course of action.
Remember, car insurance companies are profit-driven. They’re always looking to find ways of cutting your compensation. This is where a car attorney can swoop in and speak and act in your best interests.
As a general recommendation, look for an attorney which has the following qualities:
• Specializes in dealing with car accident cases
• Provides free consultations services
• Has a long list of credentials
• Has a strong and confident personality
• Is willing to fight aggressively in your favor
Final Thoughts
Accidents can be a hard pill to swallow. But taking swift action, ensuring the safety of everyone involved, getting the law enforcement agencies on the scene, and getting assistance from your car insurance company and attorney is the best way of minimizing your losses.
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