What to Do After a Car Accident
Car accidents are stressful and can be frightening. These are the steps you should take after having a car accident.
So, you were in an accident.
It’s frustrating, we know. Not only that, but it’s also stressful, confusing, and even downright scary sometimes. What do you do? You might have been through this before, but in the moment it’s easy to forget. We’ve got the answers for you, though. We’ve been through this process a few times, to say the least… and we wanted to pass along some information we thought would be helpful to take some of the worries off your plate. So, here’s what you should do if you were in a crash.
Step 1
Stay calm and check for injuries.
Check yourself and your passengers for injuries. If another vehicle was involved in the accident, ensure that the driver and passengers are also okay. Above all, try to calm yourself to avoid panic. You’ll have time to panic once everyone is safe, but time can be precious when individuals are injured.
Step 2
Move involved vehicles out of traffic.
Check yourself and your passengers for injuries. If another vehicle was involved in the accident, ensure that the driver and passengers are also okay. Above all, try to calm yourself to avoid panic. You’ll have time to panic once everyone is safe, but time can be precious when individuals are injured.
Step 3
Call the police to report the accident.
Call 911 and report the accident to the relevant authorities Wait for the police to arrive and answer any questions they have, and provide relevant information. Ask for the name and badge number of all the police involved and also ask for a copy of the police report.
Step 4
Exchange info and take pictures.
While the police report provides official documentation of the crash, always take your own pictures of the damage to your vehicle, as well as pictures of any other vehicles involved as a part of your car accident checklist.
Be sure to get the name, address, phone number, and insurance information of the other driver. If possible, swap other information such as car makes and models, driver’s license numbers, and license plate numbers. If there are third-party witnesses at the scene, politely ask for their contact information. At this point, you can also contact us for an appointment for repairs.
Step 5
Start the repair process.
Regardless of who’s at fault, it’s a good idea to inform your car insurance company that an accident occurred. Keep in mind that it’s your choice on where you take your vehicle to be repaired. A claims representative will be assigned to you and will help you through the claims process to get your car back to looking new. Give us a call right after your accident, if it’s after hours, you can just leave us a message. We will get your scheduled ASAP to get your repairs done in a timely manner.
