An auto accident can leave you feeling completely helpless and like you’ve lost control of your own life. Do you have injuries? Do you have injuries to yourself? Your auto may look like a heap of metal. Then there are the other cars involved. Is this really what happened? Although you may be in shock, you know that there are certain things you should do in an accident. As the driver, you are expected to be responsible and maintain calm. If necessary, the police and ambulances will be dispatched to the scene.
You need to start thinking about what evidence you will need to provide to your insurance company to prove that you are innocent. You should have kept an emergency kit in your vehicle. Now it is time to take pictures of the vehicles and any skid marks.
If the accident was minor, you should consider moving the vehicles. If the accident is more serious, it’s not a good idea for any vehicles to be moved. Make sure you have your emergency kit with flares and other items that can be used to warn motorists of an accident. To prevent other cars from being in this accident, it is important that these warning devices are properly placed.
Even if it was a minor fender bender, the police won’t likely respond. You will need to collect all information from other drivers and witnesses. You will also need to file a police report if the officers did not arrive on the scene. This can be done by going to a local police station, or calling and filing a complaint.
If liability is involved, the information you give at the scene of an accident can prove very important. If you have been to the scene of an accident, don’t say it was your fault. Also, your insurance company should not discuss details with anyone other than a police officer. It is also important to not make under-the-table deals with other drivers. They don’t want any record about the accident being reported to their insurance company. Be wary of anyone who offers you cash on the spot of an accident. First, it’s not legal. Second, you don’t know if someone was injured because you haven’t seen any blood. Although people are skeptical about someone saying “whiplash”, it is possible that a neck injury was caused by a specific type of accident. This may not show up until the person returns home. The person may fall asleep that night in no pain but wake up with a stiff, painful neck. Although your car may look fine from the outside, what happens if there is damage to the underside of the car?
This is when you’ll be glad that you paid more for your insurance to cover towing, and also the rental car reimbursement option. You can rent a car to go to work until your car gets fixed. These two options will save you hundreds of dollars compared to having your car tow to a shop or renting a car.
