What To Do After an Accident

Immediately after a car accident, it might take you a few minutes to calm down. Take deep breaths to steady your nerves. As you feel slightly more calm, take a look at the scene of the accident to put details together. Here are the steps to take after an auto accident:

#1 Check Yourself for Injuries

Start by seeing if you can move. If you can move and it doesn’t hurt, check whether any passengers you may have are injured. If anyone is seriously injured, call 911 immediately.

If you think you have a major injury, remain still until help arrives. While it’s natural for adrenaline to kick in and prompt you to move, doing so could make serious injuries even worse.

Turn your engine off and put your hazard lights on to notify other drivers about the accident. This is especially useful when visibility is low. If you and your passengers can exit the vehicle safely, you should. Before you exit your vehicle, check your surroundings to ensure there’s no oncoming traffic, downed power lines or any other objects that could cause injuries.

#2 Report the Accident to the Police

Whether you’ve had a fender bender or a more serious accident, it’s good to report it to the local police. If your vehicle or another party’s vehicle suffered damage, your insurance company will likely want to see a police report before processing a claim.

In serious accidents, the police come to the scene to document everything. They’ll ask for you and your passengers to recall what happened. They’ll also ask for details from other drivers or those who witnessed the crash to determine who was at fault.

Record the names and badge numbers of the officers responding to the call. And if they file a police report, request a copy.

If you’re involved in a fender bender and a police officer can’t arrive, you and the other driver can go to your nearest police station to file a report. This might seem tedious, but your insurance company will probably want to see a police report when you file a claim for vehicle damage.

#3 Exchange Information With Others Involved

When accidents happen, you should exchange information with the other parties involved. Here’s some of the information you should get after a collision:

Contact Information

The more information you both have, the easier it’ll be for your providers to process any car insurance claims. Exchange full names and phone numbers. You can also take license plate numbers and driver’s license numbers. Note the make, model and color of the other driver’s vehicle.

If there were any witnesses to the crash, exchange names and phone numbers with them as well.

The Other Driver’s Insurance Company

Share your insurance information, specifically your insurance provider and policy number. Most providers have digital cards available through their apps, where you can share a picture of your auto policy card with the other party. It’s a better option if one of you has shaky handwriting and can’t make out all of the details.

#4 Document the Crash

You should also document the crash so you have your record of what happened when you speak to your insurance agent.

Since it can be months or even years before some auto insurance claims settle — especially if legal issues are involved — it’s a good idea to voice record what happened right after the accident. This gives you the ability to recall details you might not be able to at a later date. It’ll also help with your case if you have to go to court to receive payment for your claim.

You should also document every detail of the accident scene through pictures and notes. Pictures should include:

• Damage done to your vehicle or others
• Any other property damage
• The layout of the scene

The Benefits of Dash Cams

A preemptive measure is to install a dash cam in your vehicle. A dash cam is like another pair of eyes that can document accidents or road rage incidents. Many of them have built-in batteries and record even when your vehicle is parked. If someone hits your vehicle and drives off, you have evidence you can take to your insurance company.

#5 Contact Your Insurance Company

Finally, contact your insurance company. Give a thorough rundown of the accident report, including these details:

• Where it happened
• How it happened
• Whether you shared information with the other parties
• A copy of the police report
• Any injuries you sustained from the car accident

This is where any optional coverages from your auto insurance policy kick in. If you have rental car coverage, your insurance company will pay toward the cost of a rental while your vehicle is in the shop for repairs.

If your car sustained minor damage such as a flat tire, you can use emergency roadside assistance if you have it. Roadside assistance is usually available 24/7, and it typically covers getting a tow to a repair shop.

Depending on the severity of the accident and which driver could be deemed at fault for it, you may decide to file a claim with the other driver’s insurance company or yours. Most insurers make it easy to do this.

Call the number on your or the other person’s insurance card or contact a local agent if either of you has one. Many insurers also let policyholders file claims through a mobile app. There, you’ll be able to upload pictures from the scene of the accident.

Once the insurer has all of the information it needs, it’ll begin investigating your claim.

How Insurance Claim Payouts Work

During the insurance claims process, the provider will examine the details of the accident. If your vehicle sustained damage, an insurance adjuster might be sent to check out the vehicle and assess the damage. Your insurer might also have a tow truck take your vehicle to one of its approved repair shops.

Insurance Deductibles

Once the insurance company verifies all of the information, it’ll make a determination on your claim. If you make a claim through your insurer and it’s approved, you may need to pay an insurance deductible. This is the amount you need to pay out of pocket before your insurer pays the rest of the claim. These types of coverage usually have a deductible:

• Collision
• Comprehensive
• Personal injury protection
• Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage

Source: Progressive

Getting a Claim Payout

If your vehicle needs repairs, your insurer may pay the shop directly or send you a check.

If the provider determines the accident totaled your vehicle, you’ll receive payment for the actual cash value of your ride. Your payment could also include medical expenses if you have PIP or medical payments coverage as part of your insurance policy.

Your provider will only compensate you for your vehicle’s damage if you have full-coverage auto insurance. If you only have minimum coverage, you’ll have to pay for your repairs out of pocket. Having minimum coverage also means you’ll have to cover your medical bills (unless your state requires PIP or MedPay). Your liability insurance only covers the other driver’s injuries and property damage for accidents where you’re at fault.

When the other person is the at-fault driver, you’ll seek compensation through their insurance company. But in states with no-fault insurance laws, drivers go through their own insurers for medical expenses, regardless of who caused the collision.

After an accident, your insurance rate will likely go up if you’re determined to be the at-fault driver. Here’s a look at how accidents affect average costs for full-coverage car insurance:

*These averages are based on the profile of a 35-year-old male.

How At-Fault Accidents Can Affect Car Insurance Rates

Each provider calculates your rate differently when you have an at-fault accident on your record. Here’s how average insurance premiums from 10 major providers change after an at-fault accident:

*These averages for full coverage are based on the profile of a 35-year-old male.

Depending on what type of car insurance coverage you have, costs from an accident might have to come out of your pocket. Different types of insurance cover different aspects of an accident. For example, if you only have liability insurance, your policy will only cover the other drivers and their passengers’ property damage and injuries.

The six standard types of car insurance that cover accidents are liability insurance, collision insurance, comprehensive insurance, underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage, PIP and MedPay. The policy you have will determine what’s covered in a crash.

Knowing what to do after an accident can expedite the insurance claims process. If you believe you or someone else is in need of medical attention, call 911 immediately. Next, share information with other drivers and witnesses at the scene and take pictures of any property damaged during the crash.

Contact local law enforcement to file a police report. Also contact your insurance carrier to notify it of the accident and provide the police report and any pictures and information you documented.

Top Auto Insurance Recommendations

When shopping for the best car insurance provider, look for ones that offer exceptional pricing, fast claims processing, and accident forgiveness. We recommend comparing car insurance quotes from State Farm and Geico.

State Farm: Best Customer Experience

State Farm is the largest auto insurer in the nation. Along with offering liability and full coverage, it offers options such as ride-share insurance for Uber and Lyft drivers and coverage for sports and antique cars.

State Farm makes it easy to start and track a claim through its website and mobile app. The company also provides tools for helping you find a local repair shop it works with.

Read more: State Farm insurance review

Geico: Best for Budget-Conscious Drivers

Along with the auto coverage you need based on state law, Geico offers optional coverage — like roadside assistance and rental reimbursement — that can make dealing with an accident less difficult. Geico also makes filing a claim through its website or mobile app simple. You can provide details of the accident and upload pictures and a copy of the police report.

With its Auto Repair Xpress^Ⓡ program, the company guarantees the repairs made to your vehicle after a claim for as long as you own it.

Read more: Geico insurance review

Below are frequently asked questions about what to do after an accident.

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.

Here are the factors our ratings take into account:

• Cost: Auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities were both taken into consideration.
• Coverage: Companies that offer a variety of choices for insurance coverage are more likely to meet consumer needs.
• Reputation and experience: Our research team considered market share, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
• Availability: Auto insurance companies with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements scored highest in this category.
• Customer experience: This score is based on volume of complaints reported by the NAIC and customer satisfaction ratings reported by J.D. Power. We also considered the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each insurance company’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.

Our credentials:

• 800 hours researched
• 45 companies reviewed
• 8,500+ consumers surveyed

*Data accurate at time of publication.