What to do after a car accident
Accidents happen, even to careful drivers. After a car crash, you might be stunned with shock, dizzy with adrenaline or enraged at the guy who ran the red light. Remember that this is why we have聽: to financially protect ourselves and others.
The first thing to do after an accident? 鈥淭ake a deep breath,鈥� says insurance agent Scott Grimm of Newport Beach, California. That deep breath can help you shift your focus from what just happened to what you need to do next.
The post-accident process is fairly straightforward, but it鈥檚 not necessarily easy. Use the tips below to prepare yourself to聽handle the stressful aftermath of an auto accident and to make the claims process 鈥� if there is one 鈥� more efficient and effective.
Assess the situation
After the accident, immediately determine whether聽anyone is injured. If so, call 911 to get an ambulance and police on the scene. Even if nobody is injured, call the police if there is significant damage or if anyone involved is acting belligerent or confrontational.
Consider calling the police even if the incident was minor and everyone is cooperative. That way you鈥檒l have an official report to give to your insurance company. In some cities, an officer won鈥檛 be sent out unless the accident is serious. If this happens, you鈥檒l have to file your own report with the police.
If the vehicles involved are still operational, get them to the shoulder or off the main road. If you have flares or reflective emergency triangles, set them up to warn other cars. If there appears to be a danger of explosion, get everyone out of the way. 聽
Remain alert because rubbernecking drivers gawking at the damage might not see you.
Document the crash
State laws vary as to how much information you鈥檙e expected to give at an accident scene. Generally, you need to provide only your name and your insurance information to any other drivers involved. Bill Topalian, who owns a Seattle insurance agency, suggests using your smartphone to photograph the other driver鈥檚 insurance card and the damage to both vehicles.
鈥淎ny documentation will help,鈥� he says.
Although the other driver doesn鈥檛 have to show his license, ask anyway to confirm his identity. If he refuses, get a picture of him while photographing vehicle damage; that way, he can鈥檛 later claim he wasn鈥檛 involved.
厂辞尘别听聽offer free smartphone apps to their customers that help document the details and scene of the crash. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners offers WreckCheck, a free app that records the time of the accident, lets you create written and audio details, and emails everything to you or聽your agent.
Don鈥檛 have a smartphone app? Draw a diagram of the scene and make notes about how the accident occurred, including the direction in which聽each vehicle聽was traveling. Get the names and contact information of any witnesses too.
Don鈥檛 say that the accident was your fault, even if you think it was. Don鈥檛 say anything like 鈥淚鈥檓 all right,鈥� either, since you may be injured and not know it. If asked, say something like, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe I need medical attention at this time.鈥�
Determine what insurance coverage would apply
The insurance claims process depends on who was at fault and on the types of coverage held by the drivers. Assuming you were at fault, here鈥檚 how the insurance might shake down:
Other driver鈥檚 medical bills:聽These would be covered up to the limits of your bodily injury liability coverage, which is required in most states. In the 12 no-fault states, the other driver鈥檚 personal injury protection coverage would come into play.
Suppose you didn鈥檛 have insurance, or didn鈥檛 have enough coverage to pay the other guy鈥檚 bills? Uninsured motorist coverage is required in 21 states and the District of Columbia, and some of those states also require underinsured motorist coverage.
Your own injuries:聽The medical payments coverage part of your policy would work in tandem with your health insurance coverage. Although medical payments coverage tends to have a low limit, it鈥檚 a big help if you have a high health insurance deductible. If you live in one of those no-fault states, then your personal injury protection, or PIP,聽would kick in.
Other driver鈥檚 vehicle:聽Your property damage liability coverage will pay for repairs up to the policy鈥檚 limit. 聽
Your own car:聽Collision coverage will pay for repairs up to the vehicle鈥檚 actual cash value, minus a deductible. Generally, this coverage is optional, unless you鈥檙e financing or leasing.
Emergency roadside service:聽This is optional but comes in handy if you need a tow to the repair shop. This service is one of the benefits of AAA membership; however, it鈥檚 usually聽. The downside is that using it will count as a claim, and too many claims will cause your rates to go up.
Temporary transportation:聽Rental car reimbursement coverage is optional but very useful. Be aware that you鈥檒l probably need collision and comprehensive coverage in order to add rental car reimbursement and emergency roadside service.
Decide whether to file a claim
If an accident was your fault and the damage looks minor, it鈥檚 tempting to offer to pay cash for the other guy鈥檚 repairs. But it might be a lot more costly than you think. According to Consumer Reports, a number of test crashes at just 10 mph produced damage that looked minor but priced out at $3,000 to $6,000.
Some insurance companies offer 鈥渁ccident forgiveness,鈥� which means your at-fault accident may not result in higher premiums. If you don鈥檛 have this, prepare for a premium rate increase that could last up to three years.
When the accident isn鈥檛 your fault, the other driver鈥檚 insurance should step up. Yet you might be able to use your own insurance upfront.
Collision coverage:聽Filing a claim might mean faster service but might also mean paying a deductible. Your insurer will probably ask the other driver鈥檚 insurance company for reimbursement and then refund any deductible. In addition, you could immediately take advantage of rental car reimbursement coverage, if you have it. However, deductible reimbursement can take months and there鈥檚 no guarantee you鈥檒l get it back.
PIP聽or medical payments coverage:聽You can use the same process of filing an injury claim through your own company. However, if you live in a no-fault state, you鈥檙e required to use your own PIP coverage for injuries to yourself and anyone in the car with you. You would still have the right to sue for serious injuries.
The other driver鈥檚 insurance company will investigate whether its client was at fault. After聽that, you鈥檒l either be asked to get a repair estimate or an adjuster will assess the damage. You鈥檒l also get a rental car until your own vehicle is fixed.
The company will also cover medical costs, unless you live in a no-fault state. But in both cases you鈥檒l be reimbursed only up to the liability coverage limits. If that鈥檚 not enough to pay all the bills, you could turn to your own insurance policy鈥檚 collision coverage, if you have it, or your own聽underinsured motorist coverage, which is not required in every state. Deductibles may apply.
Just surviving an auto accident can feel like a victory. But don鈥檛 let your post-crash shock distract you from taking care of business, both at the accident scene and in dealing with insurance issues.
Looking for a better car insurance deal? NerdWallet鈥檚聽聽can help.
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