If you've been involved in a car accident, you're immediately going through so much stress that you may not be able to think clearly. The first thing you need to take care of is your immediate medical needs; this is the most important task you should worry about. When your medical needs have been met and you're safe and sound at home, you can contact your insurance company to let them know of your accident. Quite often, injuries caused by an accident show up right at the scene of the accident, but other times, injuries show up later.
No-fault states are the exception, requiring each driver to use their own insurance to pay for medical expenses after an accident. In most cases, you'll want to report an accident as soon as possible to start the claim process. For example, if you don't report initially, but later realize that you have to file a claim, the insurance company has no way of knowing if the damage is the result of the accident or of something else that happened later. Being involved in a car accident limits your ability to see and understand the overall dynamics of the accident, and you may be wrong about your contribution.
Ultimately, no one wants to be at fault in a car accident, but it's important to understand how accidents work just in case. My head and chest rushed forward on impact, and I felt, heard and saw my car moving towards the Explorer immediately afterwards. Avoid making statements about how you felt after the accident, such as “when I realized that I was okay” or “I just felt a little pain.” It takes time to evaluate injuries from car accidents, especially if they don't show symptoms right away. It's also worth knowing that anything you say to the other driver or anyone else at the scene of the accident could be used against you.
Another reason why we should know what to say when someone has an accident is that newer technologies pose threats to workplace safety, along with age-old hazards. The only time it's okay not to report an accident to insurance is if it happens in your car, no one gets hurt and only your property is damaged. To learn more about what to do after a car accident, WalletHub posed the following questions to a panel of experts. Whether you decide to file a police report or not, it's always in your best interest to report a car accident involving another driver to your insurance company.
If the only thing damaged is your vehicle, there are no injuries, and you think the cost of repairs will be less than the deductible amount, then you should consider paying out of pocket for the repair of your car instead of filing a claim.
