Car Accident? Here’s What to Do Next

The United States sees a greater number of car crashes than most countries in the world. Every year, around 38,000 people die in the US due to car crashes. The fatality rate is 12.4 deaths for every 100,000 inhabitants. Out of these, 4.4 million individuals seek medical care for accident-related injuries. The yearly direct medical costs are over $380 million.

One of the ways to mitigate the high cost of a traffic crash is to get the right auto insurance policy.

This blog will take you through a series of steps you need to follow to reap benefits from your policy:

STOP

In case of an accident, your first legal obligation is to STOP—irrespective of who’s at fault. Running away from the scene will only make things tougher for you. If the accident happened due to your negligence and you escape the scene, the other party could use it against you in front of the judge. This could potentially put you in real legal trouble.

Without making any unnecessary conversation with the other party, check yourself for injuries. Check up on the rest of the passengers too. If anyone is injured, call up 911. You can either ask a bystander for help or wait for the emergency personnel to show up.

Do whatever you can to get to safety. If you’re able to move, get to the sidewalk immediately. Try and take the car to the side of the road, too, but focus on your own safety first.

Gather the required information

After you’ve received urgent first aid and have made sure the passengers are doing okay, you need to try and determine the extent of the damage. This is an important step because it will form the basis of your insurance claim. Plus, if any of the two parties have sustained serious injuries, the information will help you file your police report as well.

Speak to the other party and get their contact details. Other than noting down their full name and contact number, we also recommend noting down their driver’s license, license plate number, and vehicle type, model, and color.

Inquire about their auto insurance service and policy details. Ask for their insurance ID and other vehicle documentation too. If you have a smartphone on you, take as many photographs of the accident location and the vehicles as you can. It’s also important to record details pertaining to the accident location and the weather too.

The Insurance Information Institute recommends that you don’t get into an argument with the party about who was at fault. The insurer will determine it themselves based on the information provided by you.

File a claim

Your next step is to call up your insurance company and update them on whatever has happened. You don’t need to worry about the details of the procedure. The representative will walk you through the process. They will also tell you about the kind of information that they require.

If your auto insurance coverage allows, the insurer might also make arrangements to get your car towed or reserve you a rental car. Once you inform the company, they will assign a ‘claims professional’ (also known as an adjuster) to deal with your case.

The representative will also engage in discussions with the other party and their insurance companies to get the claim settled. They’ll contact the garage to get an estimate of the repairs. They might get the car repaired from the garage of their own choice if they have an agreement with them. The adjuster will also review if there are any personal injury claims and will handle the relevant costs.

Western Mass Auto Insurance is one of the most sought-after and dependable auto insurance services in Massachusetts. Reach out to our Auto Insurance Agent Springfield MA if you’re based in Springfield or Indian Orchard.