After an Auto Accident
Quick Quiz
The first person to call if you're involved in an auto accident is?
- Your Auto Insurance Agent
- The Police
- A Lawyer
- Local TV crew
If you didn't select the police it's time for a review.
Getting help
Getting emergency service professionals, such as the police, involved immediately can create the documentation you need to get your car and your life back to normal as soon as possible.
The National Safety Council reports that one in eight licensed drivers is involved in a motor vehicle accident each year. The
Independent Insurance Agents of America offer you this brochure with advice on what you can do at the scene of an accident to help you walk away with the information you'll need later. Keep a copy in your glove compartment in case you, or the driver in back of you, turn out to be the eighth driver.
First things first
Don't leave the scene of an accident until you are advised by a police officer to do so (Regardless of your part in the accident, you could be ticketed for leaving the scene)
Check for injuries to yourself, your passengers, and occupants of the other vehicles
Call the police
Police emergency services will ask you:
- Your exact location
- If there are any injuries
- If there are any disabled vehicles
- If the accident is blocking traffic
- Warn approaching motorists by:
- Turning on your vehicle's flashers if operable
- Setting up flares or other reflective devices, starting 50 feet behind your vehicle (Don't use flares near leaking auto fluids)
- Tying something white or light colored to the antenna of your vehicle o Raising the hood of your vehicle
Use common sense; Move your vehicle to the side of the road if it's creating a hazard
Don't get out of your vehicle if the area you're in appears unsafe
Interacting with other drivers
Remain calm and courteous
Don't accept fault for the accident
Let police officers determine liability
Have your license, registration and insurance card available
Don't accept monetary compensation at the accident scene
Don't discuss the specifics of the accident with anyone except a police officer or your insurance agent
At the scene
It's important to take the time at the accident scene to exchange information with the other drivers. Fill in as many of the blanks below as you can for each vehicle involved (other than your own).
1. Contact and Insurance Information
Name:
Address:
Home telephone:
Work telephone:
Cell Phone:
Driver's license number/State:
Insurance company name:
Policy number:
2. Vehicle Information
Make:
Model:
Year:
License plate number/state:
3. General Observations
Number of passengers in vehicles involved:
Approximate condition of passengers:
Approximate condition of vehicles involved:
Time of day:
Weather:
Road conditions:
Any other contributing conditions:
4. Police Officer Information
Name of law enforcement agency:
Name(s) of officer(s) on the scene:
Case number (if assigned at the scene):
5. Witness Information
Name:
Address:
Home telephone:
Work telephone:
6. Injuries or Property Damage
Name:
Address:
Home telephone:
Work telephone:
Nature of injury or property damage:
After the accident
Record your recollections in words and pictures
Write a quick description of the accident, including diagrams, as soon after the accident as you can. Even the best memory can fade or be influenced by other viewpoints over time
Draw the position of all vehicles before and after the accident
Include as much detail as you can such as location of signs, intersections, and other landmarks
7. Notify Your Independent Insurance Agent
As soon as you have taken care of everything at the scene of the accident, notify your insurance agent. Most agents will accept first notification of an accident on their voice mail after hours.
Keep copies of all documentation relating to the accident.
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