Steps to Take After a Car Accident

Posted by Annajay on October 1st, 2019

Accidents can happen to anyone on the road at all, even if you think yourself the most careful driver. If you find yourself in an accident, you might feel enraged, sick with adrenaline, or simply shocked. Fortunately, auto insurance will help financially protect you in this situation.

As far as the immediate aftermath, your job is straightforward if not easy. 

Assess the Situation

Immediately after an accident, quickly check if you or anyone involved was injured, and call 911 for an ambulance if so. Even if everyone feels fine, it's important to call for police presence if anyone is acting confrontational or if lots of damage occurred to the cars.

Even if there is minor damage and everyone seems to act level-headed, it might still be worth calling for the police so you have an official record to submit to your auto insurance company. Depending on your exact location, you may need to file the report on your own time if the incident wasn't severe; some cities do not send out officers unless serious damage occurred.

If you can still drive your car, move it off the main road, setting up any flares you may have to warn oncoming drivers. Get far out of the way if there looks like danger of explosion.

Fully Document the Crash

How much information you should provide varies between states but in most cases, you just need to provide your name and insurance info to the other driver. Whether you're in Los Angeles or the surrounding area, it's a good idea to use your phone to take a picture of the damage and of other driver's insurance information.

Depending on your auto insurance company, you may have access to a free smartphone app designed to assist with detailing the scene of the accident and other information. You can also use WreckCheck, provided by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, at no cost.

If you don't have a smartphone or access to an app, do your best to make notes about the accident and draw a diagram of the scene. Collect witness contact information as well.

Though the other driver has no obligation to show their license, any good car accident injury lawyer will tell you it's worth asking to confirm their identity anyway. If they won't, at least obtain a photograph when you're getting pictures of the car damage. This is to protect yourself from the other driver claiming they weren't involved.

Never claim fault for the accident, even if you think you did cause it. Also avoid claiming to be fine, because some injuries don't make themselves immediately apparent. If you're asked how you're feeling and you think you're fine, just say "I don't think I need medical attention at this time."

Figure Out Which Coverage Applies

Processing an insurance claim depends on who caused the accident and exactly what kinds of coverage each driver has for their vehicle. This is how the process would break down if you are the one to cause an accident, according to a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer: 

• Medical bills of the other driver: Your policy's bodily injury liability coverage takes care of these bills up to the policy's limit, and most states require you to carry it. If you don't have enough coverage to pay for these bills, then the other driver's uninsured or underinsured policy coverage would kick in.

• Your own injuries: Your policy's medical payments coverage handles your own medical bills. In most cases, the limits are low, but they can make all the difference when your health insurance deductible is high. Those who live in no-fault states would benefit from their personal injury protection coverage instead. 

• The other driver's vehicle: Up to its limit, your property damage liability coverage handles repairing the other driver's car. 

• Your own vehicle: If your own vehicle is damaged in an accident, then collision coverage handles the repairs after you pay a deductible. In many cases, this form of coverage is not required unless you leased or financed your car. 

• Emergency roadside service: If your car needs towing to its destination, then this optional form of policy coverage will help. If you already have an AAA membership, then this is something you'll have access to, but it's often cheaper to obtain the extra coverage right from your insurer. Keep in mind that this counts as a claim, and you don't want to have too many on your account. 

• Temporary transportation: Again, this form of coverage is not required but can certainly come in handy. To add emergency roadside assistance and rental car reimbursement, you will likely need to have collision and comprehensive insurance coverage with it. 

Decide Your Claim

If there doesn't seem to be much damage and you caused the accident, it's tempting to suggest settling for cash repairs, but sometimes damage is worse than it appears to be on the surface. Accidents caused at just 10 miles per hour can result in damage upwards of ,000 or higher.

Depending on your policy, you may have access to accident forgiveness. This means even if you caused the accident, you may not have to pay higher monthly premiums. Without this, however, you can expect your premiums to increase for the next three years.

If the accident isn't your fault, the other driver's policy should come in to play. In some cases, though, you could still use your own insurance at the start.

Collision coverage: You may get faster service if you file a claim, but you also may need to pay a deductible. Your auto insurer will ask the other company to reimburse the amount, and then it refunds the deductible to you. Additionally, if you have it, you can also take advantage of your rental car coverage. However, it can sometimes take months to reimburse a deductible, and it may not come through at all in the end.

Medical payments coverage: The same process applies to file an injury claim with your insurer. Those who live in no-fault states have to use their own PIP coverage to pay your own medical bills, but you still have the right to sue in serious situations.

The other company will perform its own investigation to determine whether or not the other drive is at fault. After this, an adjuster will assess the damage or your car accident attorney in Los Angeles will ask you to obtain a repair estimate. Until your car is fixed, you'll get a rental as well.

The insurer also covers medical costs, but you will only be reimbursed up to the coverage limits. If that doesn't pay all your bills, then your collision coverage or underinsured motorist coverage can help if you have either. In all cases, deductibles can apply. Be sure to contact West Coast Lawyers for additional information specific to your situation.

Closing

Just walking away from a car accident can itself feel like a big win. Still, you don't want to let the shock of the aftermath keep you from taking care of the things you need to do, both immediately afterwards and later when dealing with insurance. If your accident has grown complicated, contact our car accident attorney in Los Angeles at West Coast Trial Lawyers today to schedule your consultation.