Steps To Take When An Auto Accident Occurs
You are probably the kind of person who has always made a point to be a careful driver. You actually studied the book to get a great score when you were in driver's education classes. You don't text while driving and may rarely talk on your cell phone when in the car. You try to eliminate any kinds of distraction and are willing to pull over if there is something distracting. You watch for motorcycles and have an extra mirror added to help cover your blind spots. You are not a problem on the road, but you still need car insurance because there are many people who are not as careful as you, and you need to be protected in case of any eventuality. While most people have a car insurance policy, many don't have any idea what to do with it when they get in an accident. Following are the steps to take when you are involved in an auto accident.First, unless leaving your vehicles where they are will pose a danger to you and to others, both you and the other person should not move the vehicles until after the police arrive. Leaving the vehicles exactly where they ended up will help the police to determine who is at fault.
Next, make sure that you and all of your passengers are fine, and then see if those in the other car are OK too. If anyone is hurt, you should call 911 and get help as soon as possible.
Look at the damage that your car suffered and even take a few pictures with your cell phone. Later, you will need to have the damage appraised as part of your car insurance claim.
Be sure to get all of the contact information for the other person, including his name, address, phone numbers, license plate number driver license number, and the name and number of his insurance company. You may also want to get the names and phone numbers for any witnesses that saw what happened.
Once the damage has been assessed, you will need to call your own car insurance company to report the accident. They may be able to help you locate a garage or body shop near your current location. It is also a good idea to ask them what kind of documentation they will need. Most likely, they will need a copy of the actual police report.
Your car insurance company will provide a case number that will be assigned to your case. It is important to keep this number with any and all documentation and information that relates to your case. It is also a good idea to keep this information close by you at all times. This way, you will have the information to refer to if they call you, no matter where you might be. They may also do an investigation to verify the details of the report that you have provided them. When damage has been caused, a claims adjuster will usually need to come out to look at the damage and approve the repair amounts. Then, they will pay you for the covered expenses.
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