When you have a car accident there are a few keys things you need to do to make sure you are protected at the same time you also remember to take the right steps to ensure that any claim or liability does not affect you negatively.
Significant Things You Need to Know If You Have a Car Accident
1. Always stop and check if you are somehow involved or party to an accident, this is your legal obligation. Even if you do not think there was any damage, any time you collide with something, you need to stop your car and check on the people involved in it, it is not only legally applicable it is also important on a humanitarian level.
2. Under no circumstances admit the responsibility for the accident upfront. Your car insurance policy is a contract that you make with your insurance provider and your contract for your insurance with your car insurance company states in the policy that you must not assume responsibility or obligation under these conditions. If you expect and want the insurance company to take care of your claim, let them do the talking to the other party involved in the accident.
What to Do at the Scene of a Car Accident
One should avoid a car accident and any kind of trouble and there are many ways to avoid it as well, a car accident but once one happens and it a reality, it is important and mandatory to know what to do and what questions need to be asked and may need to be answered by the other person involved in the accident in order to make your successful insurance claim.
This checklist provided below will help you know what to do after a car accident. It is best to review it now and keep it in mind to follow when need be, and also take a print out and keep a copy with you in your car or bookmark this article in your phone and save the link in your notes/Facebook, so you can access it and refer to the relevant information in case of an accident.
1. Determine the Extent of Damage or Injuries
The first thing that needs to be evaluated and Checked is to see if anyone needs urgent medical care or if anyone has suffered some serious injury. If you can and until there is no other way, try not to move the vehicles unless they are causing a major problem with traffic or causing the rush on the roads. If possible, it is advisable and recommended to wait for the police before moving anything.
2. Contact the Police
If two cars are involved in an accident no matter what even in a minor accident, it is vital to make sure there is a proper legal accident report of the accident. Keep yourself familiar with how to file a police report and keep yourself updated about how to file a police report when you have to face the situation for instance like a car accident you are well prepared and aware of your succeeding step.
3.Limit Your Conversation about the Accident with the Other Party involved
It is important to limit and avoid your discussion of the accident and not to admit any fault or liability. You should only talk and discuss the accident with the police and people concerned, medical professionals and doctors and most importantly your car insurance representative so that you can be made aware of your entitlement towards the claim.
Get the Facts of Your Car Accident
This is the portion most people know to do but habitually forget due to the stress of the accident.
It is important to get titles, addresses, and telephone numbers of everyone who is part of the accident. A depiction of the car and license plate number can also be very helpful, but you need to make sure you also get their insurance company and the vehicle identification number of their car.
Don’t just assume the license plate number will do because most insurance companies only require the type of car and the vehicle credentials number, not the actual license plate number. Below mentioned is a complete list of exactly how to collect this evidence for you in the segments below.
Car Accident Information Checklist
Here’s the information you will need to file a proper insurance claim:
Information/details about what happened
Information/credentials about the driver
Information about your car insurance policy
We have covered each of these sections of information in the lists below by section.
1. Car Accident Form
The best way forward in a car accident is to involve your local police in the car accident as to keep them in the loop for further process of the incident. We all know very well that a car accident is really stressful and the last thing you need is to be worrying about the legal formalities that need to be done instantly.
2. List of Information to Collect After a Car Accident about the Driver
Name of Car driver
Address of Car Driver
Phone number or other important contact details
3. List of Information to Collect about the Other Driver’s car insurance Company in a Car Accident
You need some basic information about the car insurance policy the information which can be used as proof of car insurance policy. Get the other driver’s:
The car insurance company name
The car Insurance company policy number
4. List of some important information to collect about the Other Car Involved in the Accident
Vehicle Depiction, Make, Model and the Year – make sure that you take the photos for your own record/evidence for the further process.
The Vehicle registration information
The License plate number
Also, keep a record of the condition of the car and the photos would act as an identification proof.
5. List of Information to Collect About the Car Accident or Collision
The exact date and Time of the accident
Adress of the accident, or approximate address which you can fetch
The Road you are on if you don’t know, mark the nearest landmark
The direction you were travelling in and the destination you were supposed to go
The direction the other car was travelling in, which way it was travelling
Take photos from a few angles that appropriately shows the damage and extent of an accident or sketch a diagram of the crash scene so that it can be presented as proof to local police and your car insurance provider.
Note down what happened (As soon as you can write out your account of what happened, or use your mobile phone to record yourself telling all the details for your own records. It’s easy to forget the details when you are all shaken up from a crash, so recording you talking about it might help). It would also help you recall all the details that you might miss due to the accident and its emotional trauma if not physical.
Make sure that you make all the notes regarding the driving conditions, the weather, and visibility all small details that may have led to the situation to take place.
If there are any witnesses available, record their names and contact information details.
One question that you may have in your mind can be that should You Use a Mobile Phone to Take Photos at a Car Accident?
With increasing use and possession of smartphones and most people having access to mobile phones, and cameras on the mobile phone, as now the car insurance companies also allow you to file claims information using the insurance provider apps or through their official email address, you may and should consider taking photos. This photo evidence is especially useful for car damage images, the images also identify the positioning of the cars, where they were on the street, etc.
It is requested that you pay special attention to the probable risks of identity theft when it comes to your private/confidential information. The other party in case of accidental emergency needs your name, address and phone number to give their car insurance company, but what they do not really need your driver’s license photo so while filing claims and giving out details at the time of the accident always be very cautious and careful that any given information is not exploited and misused.
First thing first:
Contact Your Insurance Company
The insurance provider number you have on the car insurance policy, call your agent or insurance company’s emergency claims number immediately and instantly. During the time of emotional trauma, if you remember and can call them from the scene, it may be even more useful. Sometimes an official can give your insurance provider more accurate facts and figures than you can at the time because you are upset by the calamity.
How to File Your Car Accident Claim
At the time you want to make a call on the car insurance customer service number and the agent on that number will be able to walk you through how to file your claim after an accident. If your insurance company has an app like TPL insurance, for instance, you can also have the swift and easy option to start the claims process right there on the app or visit you can visit the insurance company website to see if you can fill in the details online and follow up on your claim online. If nothing sounds do-able you can also visit.
These aforementioned steps and details would help you to be vigilant and prepared at the time of nay mishap. It would not only protect you but would also help you to be safe and secure in any unfortunate scene. Make sure to file your claim with all the details so your submitted claim is processed on fast-track basses, on priority and the complete process is hassle-free and trouble-free which take away any kind of stress and financial and emotional trauma of your back in the time of need.
So just log-in at smartchoice.pk and click on car insurance select your desired plan and within few simple steps get your policy at your door-step to drive care-free.
