Whatever the extent of your car accident may be, it’s essential that the following steps be followed in order to ensure everyone involved remains safe and provide an official report to the police. Furthermore, taking photos of both the scene and vehicles involved would also be useful in documenting what has occurred.
Check on both drivers and passengers in each vehicle, if possible moving them off of the roadway and using your hazard lights or road flares to warn oncoming traffic of potential dangers.
1. Call the Police
Once everyone involved is safe, call the police. Doing so will enable them to document and determine who caused the collision as well as provide an insurance company report that can be used as evidence against those at fault.
As soon as police arrive, move your vehicles (if drivable) out of traffic and switch on your hazard lights and place road flares to warn other drivers oncoming.
Exchange information with all other drivers involved. This should include their name, address, phone number, insurance details, driver’s license details and plate numbers if applicable. In case the other party doesn’t own their car either – obtain their details too.
Do not engage in arguments with other drivers over who was at fault in an accident; doing so may exacerbate the situation and make filing claims harder than necessary. Furthermore, any time blame is assigned by either driver, it could have serious repercussions for both coverage plans.
2. Contact Your Insurance Company
After any accident, it’s essential that you notify your insurer right away, even if the other driver was at fault. Car insurance policies usually require immediate notification of incidents that could trigger coverage; failing to do so could invalidate your policy and leave you exposed financially.
Filing an accident claim through your insurer will also speed up the process, as they can connect any future claims to this incident and help access benefits like medical payments or rental cars more quickly.
Before calling your insurance provider, however, make sure that all parties involved in the accident are okay and that law enforcement are present. Never discuss it with anyone other than law enforcement as anything you say could be used against you by an at-fault party’s insurance company to cast doubt about who caused the crash; only law enforcement can create an official report and help establish liability.
3. Take Pictures
Photographing the scene of your crash can help tell your story and demonstrate its severity. Once it is safe, take photos from various distances using different lighting settings – it might reveal details you missed previously about what transpired during your incident.
Photograph the scene as soon as possible after an accident occurs to enable investigators to reconstruct how the cars were arranged at the time of collision and reconstruct its cause. Taking photographs will allow detectives to reconstruct how each collision unfolded over time.
Take close-up pictures of all involved vehicles as well as nearby objects like street signs and guardrails that have been damaged, as well as nearby objects like street signs or guardrails that might have been affected by an accident. Be sure to get photos of all license plates involved as well as witnesses. Photographing injuries such as bruises and cuts is also useful, although without their permission these photos could become unnecessary pieces of evidence at a court proceeding. Be careful when photographing anyone’s injuries without prior consent as doing so could raise tensions at a scene and lead to confrontation at court hearing.
4. Report the Accident
No matter if police arrive or not, it’s essential that an accident be reported to your insurance company in order for your car accident attorney to understand what occurred and who is at fault in an incident.
Take photos of the scene – anything from skid marks and damage caused by the crash to witness information can help corroborate your account and provide invaluable testimony in case an insurance dispute later arises.
While collecting the necessary details for even minor accidents may seem cumbersome, being prepared for an unexpected lawsuit or insurance dispute requires taking immediate steps to be properly documented and accounted for. Doing this in New York even when an incident appears minor can save both parties considerable headaches later on down the line and help ensure you receive fair compensation for their damages. Therefore, it is a good idea to follow these procedures even when your collision may seem minor.