What To Do After You Had a Car Accident

You're a careful driver. You make full stops at stop signs, you drive the speed limit, but all of a sudden your vehicle is struck by another car and your in an accident! You are shaken and confused. What do you do? The first thing is to make sure that everyone is ok. After that, the actions you take are very important and can have a dramatic effect on how the claim is settled. Consider the following steps:

• Contact authorities/police: If there are injured parties call for an ambulance or other emergency services. Also, contact the police. They will make a full report. Make sure you get the report number, officer name, and precinct number.
  
  
• Find Witnesses: Especially if the accident is not your fault, see if there are witnesses on the scene. They can go a long way to help your case.
  
• Exchange Information: If the police is on the scene, you can skip this step. If not, make sure you get the following: Names, Address, Phone, Driver Lic #, Vehicle information, Lic plate number, Insurance info, passenger info
  
  
• Take Photos: This is a very important step. If the other vehicle has little or no damage, that should be documented and noted. Also, make sure you get pictures of the damage to your vehicle.
  
  
• Be Careful What You Say: Under no condition do you admit fault. You may think the accident is your fault and want to do the right thing, but it's not for you to decide who's at fault. The insurance company and courts will decide that at the appropriate time.
  
  
• Report the claim as soon as possible: If you are a Brooks Waterburn client, we prefer you call us directly. There are a lot of good reasons for this. We have a great deal of experience handling claims, this may be your first accident. In addition, we are your advocate. We will make sure your car is looked at by the adjuster and the claim is resolved fairly. If you area not a Brooks Waterburn client, report it to the insurance company quickly, while the accident is still fresh in your memory

Hope this helps. Accidents can be a traumatic experience, but you will get thru it! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us or check out our website at: www.brookswaterburn.com