What to Do When You’re In An Accident

When you are in the heat of the moment that results in the aftermath of a motor vehicle accident, you will likely not be in your clearest state of thinking and are prone to make rash, vulnerable and spontaneous decisions that are not in the best interest of your finances and health. However, if you have a plan of the first few steps you might take upon being involved in an accident, you will be well equipped to handle whatever comes your way.

There are a few things to know about how to handle your behavior, physical state, and state of your car after being involved in a wreck or motorway crash. Beyond the immediate well being of your body and vehicle, you will likely be most concerned with the dealings of insurance claims. As a first, you will want to make sure you don’t say or do anything that indicates that you are at fault at the scene of the accident, regardless of whether what happened was quite obviously your doing or the other party’s. 

Make sure that you don’t walk away from the scene of the accident without exchanging insurance details with the other party involved, or parties in the case of multi-vehicle wrecks. You will want to either receive a card from them with all of their insurer’s appropriate information, or a hand written note with at least the name, phone number, address, and insured’s name of the company. Without this information, you will be powerless to get the compensation that you deserve. Even if you don’t know if you want to submit a claim or not, you will still want to make sure that you have all the information you might need in the event that you do want to pursue that option. 

In the event that someone involved in the accident refuses to give you their insurance details or admits that they do not possess any, ensure that you get a written record of their vehicle license registration number. You may be able to trace them through this code, or at least hand it over to your insurance company to begin investigating the possibility of a claim. 

Don’t Hesitate to Utilize Your Witnesses 

Any bystanders or witnesses that may have paid attention to the scene at hand will be useful to you in your documentation of exactly what happened, whether you are the victim or the perpetrator of the accident. When an accident has happened, take care to make sure you and your family are initially fine, and then take a look around you to see if any helpful bystanders might be able to help you plead your case. Approach these witnesses and kindly request their names and contact information, and if you have the time and inclination, ask them to write a short statement about what they saw and how the events occurred. Ask the witness to sign this statement, and then it will become a part of your legal documentation regarding what happened. This will come in handy upon beginning communications with your insurance company.

In the case that someone involved in the accident has sustained injury as a result, you will want to show your insurance information to the police as soon as they arrive on the scene. You may have to pay a visit to the police station within a few days to present this documentation to them again or have it copied for their records. In all situations, the most important thing to do is make sure that anyone who has bodily harm is taken care of first, and make sure to get all the appropriate insurance information from the other party before you leave the accident location.