Car accidents can be very scary and stressful, even for small fender benders. That’s really not the best time to try and figure out what you need to do to make sure you and your vehicle are taken care of. Here are the steps you need to take, regardless of the amount of damage, to make sure you are protected in the event of a car accident.
If operable, move your vehicle to a safe location
Safety first! Not all, but many car accidents occur in the middle of the street or highway. If possible, before anything else, make sure to move your vehicle to a safe location out of the way of traffic. Moving to a safe location allows you and any other vehicle operators to safely exit your vehicles to assess the damage without risk of further injury or accidents.
Call the Police
If your involved in an accident with another driver, or a person driving a vehicle crashes into your property CALL THE POLICE!!! I can’t stress how important this is. Regardless of the amount of damage, or the location of the accident, or any other factors, the first thing you need to do once you’re in a safe location is call the police.
The police will arrive and they will take a statement from everyone involved. If multiple vehicles are involved, the police typically gather contact and insurance information from all drivers to include on the police report. Even if you know you were not at-fault, they will likely still take your insurance information to list in the report.