If you are in an auto accident, whether you are at fault or not, it can be a stressful time.  After the accident, there are several steps that can be taken to help minimize the stress and help get you back on track to restoring your vehicle and the other vehicle involved in the accident.

  1. Notify the police. If it is unclear who was at fault, it is important to contact the police to help with this process.  Sometimes, you do need to move your vehicle out of harm’s way (if possible) to help traffic move and for safety reasons, if your vehicle is able to be moved.
  2. Take photos. At the scene of the accident, take photos of all of the vehicles involved in the accident and any structures that were damaged as a result of the accident.
  3. Exchange insurance information. To speed up the claims process, take pictures of their auto ID cards or exchange insurance information and exchange contact information. This will help speed up the process if the other party is not as responsive as you would like in initiating the claims process.
  4. Stay calm. Insurance is there to restore all parties to the original state before the accident as best as they can. Accidents can be stressful, but it is best to try and stay as calm as possible.
  5. Notify your insurance carrier. If you can let your insurance carrier know that you have had an accident, at fault or not, this can help speed up the claims process. If the accident is not at fault, it will not impact your insurance premium.

However, there are unfortunate times that an accident causes bodily injury.  if there is a time where the accident requires people to get medical help, that should be the first concern.  Making sure that the appropriate emergency services are called to the scene as soon as possible is incredibly important.  Additionally, your insurance auto ID cards will have phone numbers to call for claims and the agent you have, both of which can help with the claims process.