I've Had a Car Accident-Now What?

I remember my first accident. A white sedan drifted out of her lane on a curve and side swiped me with her side-view mirror. I was on my way back from a lunch break, and I knew I would be late if I stopped, so I was tempted not to...but I realized I had to stop. So I pulled over, and the sedan pulled over too. I wasn't sure what to do first, so I called my insurance agent.
 "Dad, I've just been in an accident. I'm fine, its nothing serious. What do I do?"
My agent asked me if it looked like over $500 worth of damage-pssh, I didn't know! It was just a scratch and small dent, surely it couldn't cost over $500(which was my deductible). It ended up costing well over $1500 to fix the damage. Anyway, I didn't call the police, but the lady and I exchanged information, and because it was her fault, we filed on her insurance. Long story short, I got my car fixed, but I made a few mistakes that could have cost me a lot of money if the other driver hadn't been honest. Thank goodness there are still many honest people out there!

So, for those of you have not been in an accident before, let's go over the proper steps to handling an accident.


#1 Check for injuries. Make sure you and the other driver are ok, as well as any passengers.Call emergency services if needed.

#2 Call the police to report the accident. Whether the damage is serious or not, go ahead and have a police officer come down to take statements. Having official statements taken will ensure that the other driver can't change their story later to avoid having their insurance pay for damages, and it will be much easier for the adjuster to determine fault. They officer can also take official witness statements, if there are any. The statements also shows evidence of a loss.

#3 Take photos of the damage. Your adjuster will take photos, but if you have your own photos, you can be sure the adjuster didn't miss anything, and you will have your own personal records of the damage. Take pictures of the license plates too.Go ahead and take pictures while you are on the scene.You never know when that might be helpful.

#4 Report the claim to the insurance company. Most have a specific 800 number available 24/7 that you should report the claim to. Your agent can give you the claims number if you don't have it. Report the claim as soon as reasonably possible.

 #5 Get an inspection and estimate of the damages. Your insurance company will send an adjuster to take photos of the damage and give you an estimate on the cost of repairs. You can get your own estimates from a shop for comparison. Your insurance company may recommend a specific body shop, but you are not obligated to use that shop. You can use whichever shop you would like to.

#6 Work with an adjuster.The adjuster will analyze the information-the damage to your vehicle, accident/police reports and any witness statements- to determine which driver was at fault and what will be covered by the policy. Your insurance company may have a way for you to check your claim status online and view documents, or you can contact the adjuster to review the claim status.

#7 Get your vehicle repaired.As soon as the claim is filed and coverage is figured out, the adjuster will guide you through the steps to getting your car repaired. You will need to pay your deductible, if any, to the body shop before the insurance company will pay for anything.  Then you simply drop off your vehicle to the body shop and-wallah! You've finished the process.