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What to Do After an Accident

No matter how common car collisions become, it does not make it any less shocking when it happens to you. You do not want to be caught unprepared if it happens to you, so here are a few important tips to remember if it does.

Safety

Your car and insurance information are of little worth if you or anyone else has been seriously injured. Check to be sure that everyone is unharmed before doing anything else, and if they are not, immediately call 911. Depending on the severity of the accident, you may need to call the police. If it is just a fender bender it will not be necessary.



Language

It is important to be prepared and keep your cool in situations such as this in order to avoid being held liable for the crash in a court case. It may feel automatic to say "I'm so sorry" or "I didn't see you" or "I wasn't paying attention" but all of these words can be used against you to prove that you caused the accident due to pure carelessness.

Exchange Information

When speaking to the opposite party, it may be awkward but be sure to get information such as name, address, phone number, email address, make, model and year of the car, license plate number, insurance carrier, and insurance policy number.

Information

In order to exchange this information, it is important that you carry it with you yourself. Along with your car insurance card you should also have a camera to document the damage done to the car. If possible also take pictures of the location, license plate numbers, and opposite party.
Hopefully, the preparation will not be necessary, but considering how common car collisions are, it would be unwise not to know what to do in an emergency situation.

Photo credit: http://www.edgarsnyder.com