If you drive frequently chances are pretty good that you will be in an auto accident at some point. Hopefully, you never get into one but you should be prepared in case it does happen. If a collision does occur then you will probably file an insurance claim, whether it be with your insurance carrier or the other party. Filing a claim can be headache free if you are thorough. Here are some obvious but important tips to handling an auto accident and insurance claim.
Just to be safe you should call 911 to have the police come out as well as an ambulance in case anyone is injured. The police will need to come out so that they give you an accident report. You will need to provide this to your insurance company. Also, get the contact information for everyone involved in the accident. This includes the other party, witnesses as well as the police officer writing the accident report.
Borrow a cell phone or use your own to contact your insurance company while you are still at the scene of the accident. See if they can send out an insurance representative to come out and write a detailed report of the accident including who was at fault and any damages.
Photos speak a thousand words. Try to get some photos of the crash scene. You never know if they will come in handy. If there is some sort of dispute between you and the party in the accident photos might help tell the story of what happened. Even if you have to take the photos from your cell phone do it. They are not the best photos but they are certainly better than none at all. Take as many as possible.
Immediately after the accident write down or use your cell phone to make a record of all of the events of the accident. Write down even the minor details such as the weather, where you are, visibility, travel speed and anything else that might be pertinent. Suppose you have a head injury and later on lose your memory of the crash. Again, you may not need this information but it is better to have it in case you do.
Make sure you do not sign any sort of release that gives away any rights. Your or the other parties insurance company might ask you to sign something. Carefully read it and better yet get an attorney for a consultation. You might be talking about a large sum of money in the way of medical bills, car repairs and attorney fees. It is always better to play it safe. What if the other person in the crash has an injured that requires years of medical treatment? A skilled attorney is good to have on your side.
If you drive a car then you stand the chance of getting into a car accident. Following these common sense tips will help you in filing an insurance claim or if you get into legal action over a vehicle accident.