7 Tips for What to Do After a Car Accident

An auto accident can be one of the most frightening and most expensive things to ever happen to you. If you’re asking what you should be doing right after a car accident, you should be thinking about car insurance. But chances are you’ll be in shock if you just had a collision with another car. Hopefully you and your passengers will not be hurt and the other driver is okay. Regardless of how hopeless the situation seems, you must remain calm and take some important steps to make sure everything turns out as best as possible.

Steps to Take After You’re in a Car Crash

1. Get Safe. If your car is still operable and you are in the middle of the road, pull off to the side of the street so that you don’t get hit by oncoming traffic. If you can’t move your car, turn on your hazard lights. Turn off the car. Make sure it’s safe for everyone to pile out and onto the side or shoulder of the road.

2. Check on Others and Call 911. Check to see if other drivers and their passengers are okay. Hopefully, there were no passengers involved in the accident but if there were go check on them. Call 911 immediately, even if someone only seems to have minor injuries. Even mild dizziness could indicate a complication and the person should see a doctor ASAP. Remember that a visit to the ER will be covered by auto insurance.

3. Call the Police. Even if you’re sure the whole fiasco was your fault, call the police to the scene of the accident right away. There really isn’t much you can do to get insurance coverage without filing a police report. When the police show up be as cooperative as possible without admitting fault. You also shouldn’t get into a screaming match with the other driver. Avoid blaming the other driver and yourself. Let the police determine who is at fault in the crash based on what they see and a description of what happened from you, the other driver and all the passengers and witnesses. In very rare cases the police do not come to the scene. In these instances, you’ll need to report the accident to the DMV ASAP and those records will take care of your insurance needs.

4. Get Contact Information. Before everyone disperses and leaves the scene of the accident, make sure to get their information. This includes the driver’s name, license plate number, insurance information and the make/model of other vehicle(s). You should also get as much contact information from witnesses as possible. Write down the exact location of the accident and get the police officer’s information. This officer will be the one to write your report so get his name, phone number and badge number.

5. Take Photos. Use your phone to take pictures of the accident from as many angles as possible. You may give these to your insurance agent.

6. Call Your Agent. You’ll need to call your insurance agent after the car accident. If you’re not sure where to call, there is a phone number on your insurance ID card.

7. Document It. Write down as much as you remember about the accident and which direction you were headed when it happened. If you end up hiring a car accident lawyer you will need to do this. This is an especially important step to take if you survived a fatal car accident. Your car accident attorney will ask you to do this as well.

The last thing you want is to be involved in a car accident with no insurance, which can end up costing you heavily. If you need to get insured, the best way to do is to compare auto insurance quotes. This process is time-consuming, unless you work with an insurance comparison website that does the shopping for you. Using SmartFinancial, you can get free car insurance quotes in minutes.