What to do after a car accident

2010-02-28
  1. Immediately following an accident, make sure that no one is injured, either a passenger in your car, in other vehicles, and don't forget about pedestrians or others who may have been nearby.

  2. Move to a place of safety, away from traffic.

  3. Do not admit fault, no matter the accident circumstances, and do not discuss the accident with anyone other than your insurance company and the police.

  4. If there are no police on the scene, call them to file a report, even if the accident takes place in a parking lot or seems minor.

  5. Get instructions from the police on how to obtain a copy of the accident report.

  6. Record the accident details, including place, time of day, and description of damages to your vehicle, other vehicles, and other property. (TIP: use your smart phone camera to take pictures of damage)

  7. Get this information from the other driver(s) and anyone else involved:

    Name
    Address
    Phone Number
    Drivers License Number (for drivers involved)
    License Plate State and Number (state involved)
    VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) - often on a metal plate on the dash or driver's side door frame
    (TIP: use your smart phone camera to take pictures of license plates, drivers licenses and the accident scene from multiple perspectives)

  8. Contact your insurance company as soon as possible with the information above, as well as your own drivers' license and vehicle license information.

  9. If you need any help or guidance Please Contact Us.

See Also: Insurance Company Claim Phone Numbers and Website

See Also: What you need to do after a homeowner loss

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Comments:

Faina Johnsberg Says:
Car accidents are common now a days. Most of the people are very unmindful while driving car. After an accident we must inform to the police by parking the car in a side. We must take the injured person to the hospital if it is serious. Then we must contact to the insurance company for the damages. Few months before I have an car accident in which my BMW car got damaged. So I have given it to the

bmw repair in Northridge for repairing as it is the best repair centre of that place. Now my BMW car is running smooth and fine.
Braden Bills Says:
I agree that the first thing to do if you are involved in a car accident is to make sure no one is injured. Getting out of traffic is also important in order to minimize the risk of getting injured more. All of these tips are extremely useful, but those ones stand out to me most. Thanks for the information!
Jonathan K. Allen Says:
Not contacting the insurance company sounds like it could really mess up the claim process. I know of a friend who tried to handle the whole thing on his own and it did not end well for him. I'll have to keep a note in my car of pitfalls to avoid for when a car accident happens. Thanks for the awesome info!
Zach Potter Says:
Something that I wish I would have done after my accident was call the police right away like it says to do here. Luckily for me, the person that hit me agreed to meet later at the police station to file a report there. I now realize that this was very stupid of me, though it was my very first time being in any sort of car accident!
Chicos Says:
After I read this blog, I am deciding to get a personal driver for my brand new car. I am now scared for that possible happen. But anyway, at least I am aware now. I appreciate your post.
Braden Bills Says:
I'm about to be going on a big road trip, so I want to make sure that I'm ready to know what to do in case I get in a car accident. It makes sense that I would want to ensure that everyone is safe! I'll make sure that I remember that.

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