Quick Tips If You Cause A Car Accident
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Being involved in a car accident is typically an emotional and financial challenge, and this is magnified if you are at fault. Depending on the damage done in the crash and the policies in your state, you may be facing points lost from your license, license suspension, or other penalties. Here are five tips to keep in mind when you are in a car accident that you caused.
Call the Authorities
The first thing you should do when involved in a car accident is to call the local authorities. Whether the damage is visibly non-existent or catastrophic, the authorities should file a report. If there is no damage, that report may sit in an electronic file somewhere. But if either car suffers damages, the police report will serve as a point of reconstruction for the insurance company.
Call Insurance
When the offending driver in a car accident, you will want to contact your insurance company. They will take down the required information, including the time and place of the incident, the other driver’s information, and data included on the police report. Should a claim be filed by the other party, your insurance company will be one step ahead because they will have all of the information on hand. This protects you from an insurance standpoint and is an essential step. Even if you are at fault, however, never publicly admit guilt. You could hurt your chances of minimizing the impacts of the accident.
Repair Your Car
Hopefully you have insurance before your car accident. If you don’t, you’ll be solely responsible for paying for your car repairs and those of the other driver. If the other driver was hurt, you may even have to pay their medical bills, and potentially be subjected to a law suit. If your insurance status was updated, you will only have to pay your deductible, and the rest will be covered by your insurer. You will likely see your insurance premium rise if you were found to be at fault, unless you purchased accident forgiveness coverage beforehand.
Get Checked
Depending on the gravity of the accident, you may benefit from getting checked out – both your physical body and your car. In rare cases, you may feel certain that no damage was done to either, but in cases where you just aren’t sure, it is always better to have everything checked out. Damage may be hidden in the undercarriage of the car (or the internal workings of your physical person). Any damages that need to be repaired will have to go through your insurance company, and in the case of a vehicle that is totaled, you will likely want to address that as quickly as possible.
Get Covered
In the event that an accident goes the way of the courtroom, you may be appointed a lawyer on behalf of your insurance company. If not, you may want to cover yourself as well. Court proceedings can be difficult and complicated, so having an organization like The Defence Lawyer on your side is never a bad idea.
Being the offending driver in an accident is difficult, but with these five tips, you can protect yourself and process the accident quickly and satisfactorily.
