Each year, more than one in ten people are involved in a car wreck in the U.S. If you haven't already, it is likely that you will have to suffer through at least one accident in your lifetime. If and when this happens, follow these steps to ensure that you are in the best place possible to deal with it.
Check That Nobody is Hurt
Before you do anything, make sure that you and everyone in your car and everyone in the other car involved are alright. If anyone is injured or if there is a major safety hazard due to your vehicle or other property damage, don't delay, call 911 right away. Then, stay in your car with your seatbelt safely buckled while you wait for help to arrive.
Once you have determined that everyone is alright, consider your continued safety and that of other motorists; turn your hazard lights on, move your car to the side of the road and set out safety cones or flares if necessary while you wait for the police.
Gather Information
The next thing to do is to exchange all of this information: name, address, phone number, insurance company, policy number, driver license number and license plate number. Next, gather insurance information including the insurance policy number and phone number. Finally, make notes about the year, make and model of the car as well as other information about the scene including the location, time of day, weather and traffic conditions. Lastly, be cordial to the other driver, but don't ever admit fault, even if you think you are at fault, wait for the police to assess the situation.
Take Pictures
You should keep a disposable camera in your car's glove compartment or use your cell phone so that you can take pictures immediately of any damage that occurs in the accident. Take pictures of the damage to your car, to the other person's car, and of the scene in general that you can use to show proof of the damage caused at the scene. This will help there to be no dispute about anything that happened in the wreck.
File An Accident Report
Although law enforcement officers in many locations may not respond to accidents unless there are injuries, drivers should file a state vehicle accident report, which is available at police stations and often on the Department of Motor Vehicles Web site as a downloadable file. A police report often helps insurance companies speed up the claims process.
Get in Touch With Your Insurance Company
The last thing to deal with in a car accident is finances; who will pay for the damage. Usually it will be either you, your insurance company or the other driver. Call your insurance agent as soon as you can after the accident - even from the scene of the wreck if possible, this way they can have early and accurate information about what happened and how much damage was caused. This will save you time later on while you are waiting for your insurance claim to be processed so that your damage can be repaired.
When you are in a minor accident without major car damages, it may be tempting to try and pay for the damages yourself, without involving the insurance company. The problem with this idea is that it could end up costing you in the long run. The other person might change their story or have extra high repair bills that you could end up on the hook for legally if you don't notify your insurance company immediately and file a claim.
Check That Nobody is Hurt
Before you do anything, make sure that you and everyone in your car and everyone in the other car involved are alright. If anyone is injured or if there is a major safety hazard due to your vehicle or other property damage, don't delay, call 911 right away. Then, stay in your car with your seatbelt safely buckled while you wait for help to arrive.
Once you have determined that everyone is alright, consider your continued safety and that of other motorists; turn your hazard lights on, move your car to the side of the road and set out safety cones or flares if necessary while you wait for the police.
Gather Information
The next thing to do is to exchange all of this information: name, address, phone number, insurance company, policy number, driver license number and license plate number. Next, gather insurance information including the insurance policy number and phone number. Finally, make notes about the year, make and model of the car as well as other information about the scene including the location, time of day, weather and traffic conditions. Lastly, be cordial to the other driver, but don't ever admit fault, even if you think you are at fault, wait for the police to assess the situation.
Take Pictures
You should keep a disposable camera in your car's glove compartment or use your cell phone so that you can take pictures immediately of any damage that occurs in the accident. Take pictures of the damage to your car, to the other person's car, and of the scene in general that you can use to show proof of the damage caused at the scene. This will help there to be no dispute about anything that happened in the wreck.
File An Accident Report
Although law enforcement officers in many locations may not respond to accidents unless there are injuries, drivers should file a state vehicle accident report, which is available at police stations and often on the Department of Motor Vehicles Web site as a downloadable file. A police report often helps insurance companies speed up the claims process.
Get in Touch With Your Insurance Company
The last thing to deal with in a car accident is finances; who will pay for the damage. Usually it will be either you, your insurance company or the other driver. Call your insurance agent as soon as you can after the accident - even from the scene of the wreck if possible, this way they can have early and accurate information about what happened and how much damage was caused. This will save you time later on while you are waiting for your insurance claim to be processed so that your damage can be repaired.
When you are in a minor accident without major car damages, it may be tempting to try and pay for the damages yourself, without involving the insurance company. The problem with this idea is that it could end up costing you in the long run. The other person might change their story or have extra high repair bills that you could end up on the hook for legally if you don't notify your insurance company immediately and file a claim.
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The further away from an accident you get, the harder it is to prove what happened and the more difficulty you will have processing a claim with your insurance provider. Get in touch with your Texas auto insurance agent as soon as possible. Being proactive in an accident can keep your Texas car insurance rate from going up and keep you from missing any critical information that could be critical later.
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