What to do after a car accident?

Here’s a step-by-step guide on reporting an accident and filing a claim.

Car accidents can be terrifying and overwhelming. Some people may get too emotional and won’t remember what steps to take after an accident. We’re here to help by giving you a step-by-step guide that’ll allow you to gather all necessary information when reporting an incident and filing a claim.

Get to safety

Accidents happen, and that’s okay. The first thing you should do after a collision is to safely evaluate the scene. Check for any injuries on yourself and any involved parties. If it’s safe to do so and you’re able to, you should move the cars somewhere to allow the flow of traffic to go on. 

It’s important to turn your hazard lights on so surrounding cars can slow down.

Take a moment to collect yourself and take a deep breath. It’s easy and natural to get overwhelmed in these situations. However, whatever you do, don’t leave the scene of the accident as you can face serious legal repercussions regardless of how small the mishap is. 

Call 000

This step is not always necessary. You should only call 000 if someone is seriously injured and in need of urgent medical assistance. Otherwise, you may call 000 if violence escalates from one of the persons involved. 

Collect all the required information

After an accident, the most important to take is swapping information. Your car insurance provider will need basic information to begin a claim and assess the situation. Here’s the information you’ll need to collect:

• – Contact information of any witnesses
  – Timestamp and exact location of the accident
  – Insurance companies and policy numbers of people involved
  – Make, model and colour of cars involved
  – License plate numbers
  – Names, addresses and contact information of people involved

Document the car accident 

The more details you provide on the situation, the easier you make the claim process. While your memory is still fresh, you should write down every detail you can think of about the accident and how it could’ve happened. Additionally, take photos of the damage done to all vehicles from multiple angles, as that could be used as evidence. Photos and a timeline of the accident make it easier for your insurer to understand the chain of events and who would be at fault. 

File a claim 

Aim to contact your insurance company to file a claim as soon as possible. Filling a claim is a simple process that can be done by calling your provider and giving them all the details. Your insurance company will ask you basic questions about the accidents and from there you will be able to assess who would be at fault. 

Your insurance company will then take care of the costs, depending on who’s at fault. If your car has been written off, the insurance will inform you. Make sure to stay on top of the process and document every step.