There are several things you should do after your first car accident. You can check out our helpful guide here to learn more.
Car accidents are more common than you think. In the U.S. alone, there are more than 6 million collisions each year.
What’s the leading cause? Distracted driving. As it is, this includes things like texting, eating, drinking, and talking on your phone—basically anything that diverts your attention away from the vehicle.
Other causes include drunk driving, speeding, and reckless driving.
Did you recently get into your first car accident? Need some tips on what to do? If so, you’re on the right page.
We’ll be going over everything that you need to know in this post. Keep reading to learn more!
What You Should Do After Your First Car Accident
Got into a car accident? Here are a few things that you should do.
Call For Help
Generally speaking, you never want to stay inside the car after an accident. You always want to exit the vehicle (assuming that you’re not severely injured).
Once you’re in a safe place, call 911 and let them know of any injuries. Give them details about the incident once they arrive on the scene.
Gather Accident Information
Gather information about the accident once you’ve made sure that everyone’s okay. For example, it’s a good idea to write down the other party’s name, address, and plate number.
In addition to that, you’ll want to ask for their insurance details. More specifically, you want to ask for the company name and policy number.
Don’t forget to document what happened for your own records as well. It’ll come in handy whether or not you are at fault.
Take Photos of the Scene
Photos are important evidence. That is, you want to take pictures of the vehicles involved and the damage that they’ve sustained, ideally from multiple angles.
Aside from that, you also want to capture the weather conditions, accident site, and any injuries that you’ve experienced. They’ll be useful when you’re dealing with your insurance company.
Call Your Insurance Company
Finally, you want to contact your insurance company so that they can start the claims process. If you want, you can even do it while you’re at the scene. That way, they’ll be able to tell you exactly what they need in order to process it.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll be contacted by a claims adjuster. Basically, their job is to determine the extent to which the claim will be covered by your insurance policy. From there, you can take your vehicle in for repairs.
Recovery After a Car Accident
And there you have it—a short guide on what to do after your first car accident. As you can see, there are several steps involved in the process.
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