Although it’s hard to keep your cool and follow any guidelines after a car accident, it’s essential to keep at least some basic things in mind for your benefit. Being in an accident is one of the worst things you can ever experience. The silver lining, however, is that there is a set of steps to follow that will make things better and make it easier for you to file a Car Insurance claim.
Here are nine things you need to do after a car accident:
- Don’t try to flee
If you’re not injured seriously or even if you are, never try to flee the scene. If you decide to escape instead of staying back and offering to help the injured, it will be counted as a criminal offence against you. So, instead of being referred to as the hit-and-run driver, it’s better to stay back until the cops arrive.
- Check for injuries
Before taking any hasty decisions, check for injuries first. Most people tend to enter a state of shock and often miss identifying some major or potentially fatal injuries. It’s, therefore, necessary to check yourself and others who’ve been in the crash for injuries.
- Call the police
Whether it’s a serious accident or just a minor one, you must call the cops right away. This police report will also come in handy while filing an insurance claim. Don’t try to change anything about the accident scene. Let the police come and handle it.
- Get off the road
Instead of blocking the traffic and creating further chaos, it’s always better to get off the road and wait for the police to arrive. In case of a minor accident, you can move your vehicles, but in case of a major one, it’s better to leave the cars where they are.
- Consult your lawyer
If someone got hurt in the accident, it’s better to consult an attorney. Since they have better know-how of legal procedures, they can save you from any kind of possible trouble. So, if the situation doesn’t look favourable for you, call your lawyer immediately.
- Keep all accident-related info together
To process your insurance claim, you must have all the required information and documents handy. This includes information such as names, phone numbers, addresses, vehicle registration numbers and other relevant details of all the people involved in the crash. Ensure you have these filed and ready.
Additional Reading: 7 Tips For A Better Car Insurance Claim Process
- Take pictures of the damages caused
Having pictures of all the damages caused is essential to file an insurance claim. You don’t necessarily need a high-quality camera for these pictures, just use your phone camera and do the needful. Clicking pictures right after the accident might not always be possible. In those cases, you can click pictures later; just remember to cover all damages caused.
- Talk to your insurance company
To file a claim, you need to inform your insurance company about the accident and the seriousness of the damages caused. Instead of trying to cook up new stories, it’s better to tell them the absolute truth. If they discover your lies later, that might get you into a lot of trouble.
Additional Reading: Why Are Car Insurance Claims Rejected?
- Get a damage evaluation done
Ask your insurance company to evaluate the damages caused to your car. To get a better idea about the damages caused, you can also opt to get independent repair estimates as well. These quotes will help you get better compensation.
Here’s hoping these tips will help you deal with the aftermath of an unfortunate fender bender smoothly. If you’re in the market for a new car, take a look at some great Car Loan offers!