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What To Do After A Car Accident
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A few years ago, I was driving from one office building to another when a Dodge Durango ran a red light and totaled my car. I was fine, as the Durango hit me at a forty-five degree angle, but my car was destroyed. The passenger door was dented in, the front quarter-panel was crushed, the frame was bent, and the wheel was crooked on the axle. If that wasn’t enough, both airbags deployed – my Acura Integra was kaput. I was fortunate in that accident because I wasn’t at fault, the other driver was calm, a witness stopped, and the police handled the situation expeditiously. The end result was that I got a check and needed a new car, but the process as quick as could be expected.
There was one good thing about that experience, it taught me how to properly respond in the event of an accident. Accidents are very scary and it’s very easy to lose your calm. They are exactly like those “controversial” Volkswagon “Safe Happens” commercials (I embedded two at the end of this article, they are very shocking). One minute you’re minding your own business, the next you’re being violently interrupted.
Here’s what I do immediately following an accident, I’ve written little notes down to myself on a piece of paper in my wallet to remind me. (In fact, I got the idea from Geico, which writes a sub-set of these instructions on what you should do immediately following an accident)
Never Admit Fault
No matter what happens, don’t ever admit you were at fault in the accident. This isn’t so that you can get away with something that you did but it’s to protect you in the event your memory of events or your understanding of who is at fault is wrong. When my car was totaled after the other driver ran a red light, I was a little dazed and unsure what had happened. I was turning and had a dedicated turn arrow but at the time I wondered if I only had a regular green and should’ve yielded. The police and the insurance companies can sort that stuff out and they know all the laws.
Don’t Get Out
If your car is smoking or on fire, get out immediately. If everything seems to be fine, just sit for a minute and collect your thoughts. You may have gotten a concussion or hurt something in your body, you don’t want to be moving around too much unless it’s absolutely necessary. Take this time to collect your thoughts, try to figure out what happened, and look at the other driver. If the other person looks furious, unbalanced, whatever… lock your doors, call the police immediately. It’s not uncommon for someone to be upset and have that anger turn into blows.
Call The Police
If it’s more than a little bump and superficial scratches, call the police. If you need emergency assistance, such as a tow, call the police before you call a tow. If the accident is severe, you’ll want the police to write a record and issue a ticket. The ticket is an indication of who the police find at fault, having one of those makes it much easier to deal with insurance companies. Police can also diffuse hot tempers. If the other person looks like they’re going to do something, you’ll want the police there.
Get Driver’s License & Insurance Info
When you collect the other driver’s information, copy down everything from his or her driver’s license. You’ll want everything from the state it’s issued to their address to the ID number. There is no such thing as having too much information. Also remember to get their phone number as well, confirm if you must (call them). Get all of their insurance information as well, essentially carbon copying the data on their card (ask for a card, not just for them to recite it). Also get the make, model, and license plate of their car. If you have any problems, call the police if they aren’t there already.
Call Your Insurance Company
If you have comprehensive and collision insurance, which is insurance for your own vehicle in an accident, call your insurance company and let them know what happened. They are responsible for paying for the repairs on your car if the other driver is found to be not at fault, which means they will work hard at proving the other driver is at fault (if they are). This ultimately means less work for you, so take advantage of it (you are paying them for this anyway!).
Don’t File A False Claim
Whenever insurance is involved, there’s always the opportunity for fraud. You may be tempted to file a damage claim for something that happened a few months ago, please don’t. Fraud is a serious crime, don’t throw your future away for a few dollars in repairs in the present.
Volkswagon Commercials
The two commercials I promised are after the jump.
(Photo: andyfitz)
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All excellent tips.
I would also add that you should not admit liability, even if you think it was your fault. Let the insurance companies and police make that determination.
You should also report the accident to your insurance company even if the collision seemed minor and the other driver wants to settle things without going the insurance route. Small accidents can lead to much larger claims than you might think, and trying to avoid using your insurance company might just leave you without coverage when you need it if things blow up.
Wow, how did I miss that one?
Glad to hear you weren’t hurt in your accident. My wife was recently in a fender bender and thankfully no one was injured (she was rear ended; her car received little damage, but it was bad on the other car). Her insurance company handled everything smoothly and quickly. We were very happy with the results!
And yeah, those commercials are gripping.
When you call the police what number do you call? 911? Or a local non-emergency number?
I had the same question awhile ago. Of course if you’re not in your local area then 911 would be the only option. I just feel guilty calling if it were a very minor accident…but better safe than sorry?
Yeah, that was my main concern as well.
But you’re right. If you get into an accident that’s not in your local area, I guess there’s no other choice.
great tips that people hopefully will not have to use…
also when it comes to injuries, as small as they might seem at the time of accident, get medical attention. Many injuries will start off as minor pains of kinks (eg. Grade 1 Whiplash) which if not taken care of properly could get worse.
Getting out of the car after an accident when on a snowy or icy freeway can be very dangerous. Many people get killed after accidents on the highway by other cars that lose control.
Been awhile since I was involved in an accident. Great refresher that I hope I never have to utilize.
There are situations where it is much smarter to get out of the car. If you’re on an interstate or other major expressway and have a small enough fender bender that you are able to safely get your car off the road you should do so ASAP. This is for your own safety and the safety of all other drivers on the road. The highway signs (”Fender Bender?”) and police will tell you the same thing.
I will share the story I’ve shared with many friends and family that happened when I was living in Baltimore about 5 years back. Two cars had a small fender bender around 6am on the outer beltway where it comes around a curve. The drivers called the police but did not move their cars because (we assume) they wanted to wait for the police to assess who was at fault for insurance reasons. In the meantime a tractor trailer came around the curve at the normal posted speed but because of the cars location right around the curve, the truck did not have enough time to safely stop and completely cleared the scene, killing everyone in both cars. Moral of the story – assess your situation and if you could be in danger of causing a larger accident than the one you were just in, move yourself and/or your car somewhere else.
If you have a cell phone with a camera it is good idea to take pictures as well if you are able. Some people keep cheap disposable cameras in their cars for that reason. But cell phones are generally good enough. I
Along with “Never Admit Fault”, never say “I’m sorry” since that may imply admission of fault.
Oh yeah: Some states’ DMV (such as California) require you to fill out an accident report that is IN ADDITION to any police report.
Oh taking pictures! That’s a good tip…
Thanks for the write up Jim. Someone recently rear-ended me but it was more like a tap and I didn’t see any damage whatsoever on my car. I thought about filing a claim anyhow but I haven’t thinking there’s really no damage to report. I guess I should rethink that?
The risk is that you get hurt and then have no way of making a claim because you never reported it in the first place.
If there is absolutely nothing wrong I might think twice about filing a claim.
I was in a similar situation. Some person rear-ended me but my bumper was cracked so I did file a claim (his insurance company paid, not mine since it was his fault).
Then a couple years later when I switched insurance companies they asked if I filed any claims before, even if it wasn’t my fault.
I was told by an agent that even if the accident isn’t your fault, it still might count against you.
Good points, good points. I think I’ll mull over it a little more and see what I should do. Thanks guys.
In Arizona we’re asked to move fender benders off the freeway but it’s nearly impossible because of inconsiderate drivers. Not too long ago, I was stuck behind a fender bender at the Broadway Curve. The accident was holding up traffic, the lady’s airbag had gone off, you could see she was little dazed and there was NO way for her to even think about moving as the cars behind us were zooming around and past her car. When I finally got the opportunity to pass her, I was in position to BLOCK the stupid drivers coming up behind us. Two vehicles were pulled over, I got the guys’ attention and asked if they wanted to push her vehicle to the emergency lane. They were very grateful and traffic could resume. It’s a dangerous stretch during rush hour where two main highways converge with both lanes needing to merge 2-3 lanes within a mile or two depending on if you are merging to another freeway. I have to merge twice and cars are merging into my lane from both sides, and then when it’s finally safe, traffic suddenly slams to a halt in front of me, while someone speeds up alongside me, even though I’m halfway in the lane, with my signal on, clearly merging. People don’t pay attention, they don’t slow down to let people in. Anyway, I felt I’d done my good deed for the day. If the other drivers would have just thought for one second, they could have done the same, and cleared up that lane.
Check the expiration date on the other driver’s license. If it is expired ask for a more current license and their business card. If they are from out of state ask for the license info from their passenger. If they give you their cell number, call it right there to verify its accurate.
I was given an expired out of state license and phony phone number once. Thankfully the driver was using his friend’s car and the police were kind enough to give me the address from the DMV record for the license plate (which i almost didn’t write down). I was able to track him down through his friend but would have been at a total loss without it.
I was recently t-boned by another driver. His insurance is going to pay for my damages. However every day (4days)I am feeling more pain, stiffness, sleeplessness and really unable to work. I also have to pay for half of my rental car. This whole ordeal is just overwhelming.