I still remember the voice of my husband telling me: “Accidents happen Dasha” when I got in my first automobile accident.
It was my 23rd birthday and my husband Jeremy and I were celebrating it. Everything was nice and relaxing. Until I decided to hit a neighbor’s car parked in their driveway. To make it worse, I pushed the car into their garage door. Cars are supposed to be parked in a garage, aren’t they?
I won’t get into too much detail, but I can tell you that I was so embarrassed and angry with myself. “How could I do it? What will happen next? How can I live with it?” These questions raced through my inexperienced mind. But my husband was right. Accidents do happen. And no matter how hard we try to avoid them, there is always the possibility that they might still happen to us.
At that time, I had no idea what to do, how to react, and what to say. I simply sat there and cried. Yes, girls do cry in situations like that. But thankfully I had my husband nearby who was experienced enough to help me handle everything and solve the problem.
I believe a lot of us feel helpless and scared when accidents happen to us. Whether it is a small accident where we scratched someone else’s bumper; or a big one where a couple of vehicles are involved. But if we know what to do in case of an accident then this knowledge will help us be more prepared for unforeseen situations. Knowledge is our greatest power.
Now after being in the insurance industry for 8 years, I know exactly what to do and how to be prepared. I want to share my knowledge with you.
Steps you should take in case of an automobile accident:
- First of all – is anyone injured? Examine yourself and answer these questions: Are you in pain? Are you bleeding? Can you move? Did anyone else suffer injuries? If anyone is hurt then the first thing you need to do is obtain any medical attention needed.
- Don’t panic and try to calm yourself down. You might be in shock at first, but try to concentrate because there are certain things you need to do.
- Call 911 to notify the police of the accident. Note that in a lot of cases police won’t give you a police report, and might not even come to the scene. But it is still very important to notify the proper authorities.
- Record important information:
- Date, time, location of accident
- Names, contact information and addresses of all persons involved. Drivers, owners of vehicles, witnesses, etc.
- License plate numbers of all vehicles involved in the accident.
- Insurance information on all involved vehicles
- Write down a short description of the accident – how it happened and what part of the vehicle was damaged.
- If possible, take photos of the accidents – damaged vehicles and property.
- Do not admit fault. Discuss the accident only with police or your insurance representative. Your insurance representative can be your insurance agent or your insurance company adjuster.
- Report a claim to the insurance company.
Accidents do happen to everyone regardless of whether you are most experienced driver or recently got the driver’s license, and whether it is your fault or not. That is why, It is very important to know what to do in case of a car accident and what steps to take to protect yourself. It is also important to have knowledgeable people by your side. As a team of insurance agents we are happy to help you and answer any further questions you might have regarding this subject. We are honored to assist our clients with any help they might need if they were involved in any type of collision.
Not insured by us? Call us at 801-999-8346 or submit your information for a quote here.
