There’s no doubt that meeting with a car accident is one of the most unfortunate incidents that you can experience. When this happens, you’re mentally going to be all over the place as you process what just happened to you.
That’s why it’s important to prepare yourself ahead of time by educating yourself on what to do if you get in a car accident. In this article, we’ll answer that exact question, “what do I do after a car accident” to ensure that you do everything right if you ever end up in this situation.
Do an Injury Check
The first thing to keep in mind is that health is of prime importance. The most important thing, therefore, is to ensure that everyone involved in the accident is A-okay. Do a quick check of yourself before moving.
Make sure that you don’t have any pains anywhere. If you do feel significant pain, then don’t move and either call on an ambulance straightaway or have someone call one for you. Moving can result in more severe damage, at which point you may have to go visit a personal injury clinic.
Document, Document, Document
If everyone’s okay and you’re able to move around, then it’s time to start gathering documentation. This is the most important step after you do your injury check. It’s absolutely vital that you are able to document the damage, the position of the cars, etc..
Armed with documentation, you can take the evidence to the police and the insurance company to figure out who is at fault. Take pictures, videos of you walking around the incident, and the like.
It’s also important to take note of any witnesses who may have stopped by. Ask them for their contact details so that they can be interviewed if there ends up being a dispute of who was at fault.
Exchange Info
The next thing to do is to exchange info with the other member in the accident. Get their insurance details and their contact info. At this point, the police should already be here. The police will continue with getting both of your details as well so that they can file an official report.
Talk to Your Insurance
Last but not least, talk to your insurance company and file a claim for the damage. Do this if you’re confident that the amount of damage to your vehicle merits an insurance claim.
Remember that a lot of internal damage can cause problems that will be hidden until later on down the road. Your insurance may not fix those issues at that point if you hadn’t filed a claim immediately after the accident.
What Do I Do After a Car Accident?
There you have it — now that you know the answer to the question, “what do I do after a car accident?” you are well-prepared should you ever fall into this unfortunate situation.
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