What To Do If You've Been In A Car Accident

Chances are you'll be involved in at least one car accident in your
lifetime. Traffic accidents [1] occur daily and range in severity. But
regardless of how severe your traffic accident may be, there are a few
steps everyone needs to follow in the aftermath of a car accident.

Car Accident Fundamentals

If you get into a car accident you need to:

1) Stop: Immediately after you get into an accident, stop. If you
caused the accident, don't run. Take responsibility and acknowledge
your error. Causing an accident and fleeing from the scene is a crime.
If you're the one who's been hit, it's important that you also stop.
If the individual who hit you reports that you ran from the accident
scene, you can also get in serious trouble. So, regardless of if you
caused the accident or are the victim in an accident, stop and don't
leave the accident scene.

2) Check for Injuries: Immediately after the accident, check yourself,
your passengers, and the individual(s) in the other vehicle for
injuries. If there are injuries that need medical attention, call 911.
Before you even look at the damage done to your car, check everyone
involved for injuries.

3) Call the Police (if necessary): If the accident is serious, or it's
a hit-and-run situation, the authorities need to be notified. Most
insurance companies require you to call the authorities in a
hit-and-run situation if you want your damage to be covered. Serious
accidents [2] sometimes require police involvement if the accident is
backing up traffic or if debris is blocking the street. Minor fender
benders, on the other hand, don't necessarily require police
involvement.

4) Exchange Information: Regardless of if you're at fault or not, or
the severity of the accident, you need to exchange information with
the other party involved. You need to provide your name, phone number,
address, license plate number, and your driver's license number. You
also need to obtain this information from all individuals involved in
the accident. Your car insurance company will need this information to
resolve the incident.

5) Document Damage: If you have a camera on hand, take pictures of the
damage. If you don't, write down details about the damage. Document
what damage was done to your vehicle and the other vehicle(s)
involved. Have all parties involved in the accident sign the paper as
proof that they agree on the damages done to each vehicle. If you hit
a parked car and the owner can't be identified or found, leave a note
with the appropriate information. If you don't, it can be considered a
hit and run.

6) Contact Your Insurance Company (and possibly the DMV): Immediately
after the accident, contact your insurance provider about the accident
and provide all details regarding it. Also, if anyone was injured in
the accident or the damage to the vehicle is $750 or higher, you need
to report the incident to the DMV. If you don't, your license could be
suspended.

Car accidents [3] are not fun. If you ever find yourself involved in
one, remember these steps. They will help you resolve the incident
without the possibility of future repercussions or involvement of law
enforcement.

Brad Stroh is currently co-CEO of Freedom Financial Network and
Bills.com. If you would like more of Brad's articles, please visit the
Bills.com information on Insurance

Links:
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[1] http://caraccidentsus.info/tag/accidents/
[2] http://caraccidentsus.info/tag/accidents/
[3] http://caraccidentsus.info/tag/accidents/