If you are like most people, you may not know what you should do right after an auto accident. You may be wondering if you should contact your insurance provider. You should know what the right steps to take are before you find yourself in this situation so you can handle it correctly. This guide will explain everything you should know.
Should You Contact Your Insurance Provider?
It is true that you should contact your insurance provider following an accident. There is no reason you should not contact your insurance provider. Regardless of whether you are at fault for the accident, the other person is at fault, or you do not know who is at fault you should contact your insurance provider.
Even if the other driver tells you that he or she will pay for the damages out of pocket, you should still contact your insurance provider to be safe. The only time you do not need to call your provider is if all of these things are true:
- There is no damage to the other driver’s car
- The other driver has agreed that you do not owe them anything
- You plan to pay for any damage to your own car out of pocket
Finally, it is important to remember that while you should always contact your insurance provider, there are other things that are more important. In fact, contacting your insurance is basically the last thing you should do.
What Else To Do
These are all the things you should do before contacting your insurance provider:
- Evaluate whether you or anyone else is hurt, and call 911 if so
- Attempt to safely move your vehicle to the side of the road
- Exchange contact and insurance information with all other drivers
- Get the contact information of any potential witnesses
- Take extensive photos and notes of the accident
- Call the police non-emergency number to create an accident report
Once you have done all of these things, you are free to contact your insurance provider and drive home. While contacting your insurance is the least important thing on this list, it is still very important that you do not delay in contacting them. The sooner you call your insurance provider, the better. Getting a claim underway as soon as possible is strictly more beneficial for you. Additionally, if you fear that there may be legal trouble between you and another driver, you should contact an attorney who specializes in car accident cases right away.