Stay calm and follow these 7 steps
In the confusion following an auto accident it’s easy to remain calm and know what to do next. Knowing these steps ahead of time will help to minimize injuries and deal with your insurance and auto repair issues.
- Assess the scene for injuries. Quickly survey yourself and your passengers to see if and how badly anyone is hurt and then check other parties involved. If someone is injured, fuel leaking, smoke or fire you need to call 911 immediately and move everyone out of harms way.
- Move vehicles to the side. If there are no serious injuries and vehicles can be moved, pull them out of the lanes of traffic to prevent further damage or injuries. Ask a bystander to direct traffic around the scene until police arrive.
- Keep the conversation civil. Emotions will be running high especially if someone is clearly at fault, but your objective at this time is to reduce injuries and further property damage. The police, insurance companies and attorneys will have plenty of time to sort out the details later.
- Exchange information with the parties involved. This includes driver’s full name, home address, phone number, driver’s license, insurance info and license plate numbers. Your cell phone camera is a quick way to document this info. (see number 5 below.)
- Take multiple photos of the accident scene and damage to both vehicles. You want as much info as possible and taking more photos now than you think you need will be invaluable later.
6. Document everything you can remember ASAP. Use your video phone or voice recorder to simply describe everything you remember about the accident, immediately before, during and after. There will be some things left out that you can recall later but this initial documentation will help jog your memory in the future.
7. Contact your insurance company. After all injuries and vehicles are attended to and you’ve contacted your loved ones / made alternate plans for your day, contact your insurance company and give them as many details as they ask. They will set up an initial claim and an adjuster will be in touch to ask further questions, assess vehicle damage and give you further instructions.
Finally, It is your choice as to the repair facility that you use! Do a search for the best facilities close to you, get advice from friends and family and pick the best value for you and your family.
