7 Steps To Take At The Accident Scene

Copyright Van Dorst, BeSafeInsure.com, 2007.

If you are involved in an accident, there are 7 steps to take at the scene of the accident and immediately after:

#1. First ensure that everyone involved is alright. Call 911 immediately for an ambulance if needed. If you are accredited in First Aid, offer aid if possible and as needed. Stay calm and compassionate.

If you are involved in a fender-bender, and the other driver comes out the car screaming, irate and irrational, it is best to stay in your car until that person calms down. Remember, your safety is important.

#2. For most accidents, simply call the police. A police officer will make a proper investigation of the situation. Often the same phone number, 911, gives access to both the police and the ambulance.

While waiting for help to arrive:

#3. Exchange the following information with other driver(s) involved in the accident, particularly of the party at fault:

• Driver Name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Insurance company/insurance agent
• Car make, model & year
• License plate number

The gesture of offering the other driver your information builds trust and may make it easier to retrieve the information you need from the driver who is at fault.

TIP: during this exchange of information, at fault drivers of seemingly minor accidents may worry about cost, insurance ratings and that sort of thing. Don’t let the driver at fault talk you out of taking the accident seriously. Symptoms of physical damage like whiplash kick in later. You will have a better view of the real damage of the accident a week or more later.

So, even if you feel ‘OK’ or ‘only a bit shaken’ right after the accident, be sure to get all the information you need, and report the accident.

#4. While the other driver is getting his paperwork in order, look around and see who could have seen the accident.

Immediately ask people on the street or in the car behind you if they can witness. Ask for their contact details. Having witnesses makes all the difference for your insurance pay-out, in case the other driver disputes he’s at fault.

If there are no witnesses, and if you happen to have a camera in your car, take pictures of both the accident scene and the damage.

#5. Write down facts of the accident and the situation:

• the street name, cross road, and city name,
• the time of the accident.
• observe the traffic/environment around you: is it busy; was there anything in the street that was distracting or otherwise relevant to the accident.
• write down the chain of events in the accident itself.
• estimate the speed of the other driver and your own.

#6. Call your insurance agent or insurance company as soon as possible, with all factual details. You will be asked to make an appointment to file a statement about the accident, and to assess your car before repair.

#7. Consider going home after the accident.

When home, read your insurance policy over carefully, right away.

If you are too out-of-sorts to do this on the day of the accident, have someone else do this for you.

Assess if you are well enough to go to work later, if relevant.

Do exactly as is stipulated in your policy to receive compensation for loss of work, or hiring help at home. You will need to see a doctor if you are taking time off work to recover from the accident, as well as for medical treatments that will assist in your recovery.

As always, Be Safe Insure!