Every single car crash is a major event in the lives of the people involved. Even if there appears to be no significant injuries and only minor property damage, you should nonetheless contact the authorities about an automobile collision. It’s important to do the right thing after any vehicle accident, no matter how minor, because you never know when a claim will escalate or become complicated for reasons outside of your control.
Discuss what your legal options are with a certified lawyer.
Try to stick to these basic guidelines after a small vehicle accident:
- Even though most low-velocity collisions result in just minor damage, you should nevertheless check on everyone. Make sure all the people in the car are alert and can get by without medical assistance by doing a headcount.
- If you feel the need to contact the police: In some places, you’re expected to notify the authorities of each car crash, no matter how minor. Find out right now if something is required by law in your jurisdiction. If someone appears to be gravely hurt, the other driver has no insurance, or there is broken glass or other vehicle debris in the road, you should also contact the authorities.
- Use your smartphone to take pictures of the scene as it currently stands, capturing all vehicles in one shot to gain a better sense of what transpired. Your images may be more about documenting the damage than the actual accident scene if the impact was small and the cars pulled over into a parking lot or along the curb immediately afterward.
- Once all vehicle photos have been taken, please relocate any parked cars out of the way. Pulling the cars far back from the road is preferable. If you stop your automobiles, onlookers won’t be able to risk smashing into them.
- Even if it seems like there is little damage to either vehicle, you should still exchange insurance information with the other motorist. As with every collision, information such as insurance and driver’s licences should be exchanged between those involved.
- Consult with potential eyewitnesses; if anyone has stopped to see how you are doing after the accident, don’t be shy about asking for their contact details. They may have had a clearer view of the other driver’s actions that led to the collision than you did.
