How to Manage a Car Accident
- 1
Make sure to file a police report when involved in a car accident.
Always, ALWAYS get a police report.
Both parties' insurance companies will take police reports into account when investigating the car accident. A police report can be especially useful in an incident where it is hard to tell who is at fault. - 2). Never forget to get the other driver's information.
Don't rely on the other driver to report all the information correctly. When you have his/her insurance info, you can file the claim yourself and make sure it gets done properly, and that the other person is part of the situation. - 3
Make sure to take pictures of the accident.
Take pictures.
This is the best arguing tool that you can have. Photos showing the vehicles and the surrounding area can help get you out of a bind if the other person denies what happened. Make sure to take pictures of both vehicles, (including license plates), and the area in which the accident occurred. - 4
Know how much your car is worth.
Know what your car is worth.
Insurance companies don't like to pay out money. If your car is totaled, chances are, you're going to get offered less than what your vehicle was worth.
If you know how much your car is worth, then you can better dispute that with the insurance company. The best way to find out how much your vehicle is worth, is by checking out Kelly Blue Book's website which is listed in the tips section at the bottom of the page. Enter your vehicle's information into the form on the website, and print out the results. This way you have just how much your vehicle is really worth in black and white.
