What Should You Do If You Are in an Auto Accident?

Auto accidents can be extremely serious. Most accidents, anecdotally at least, seem to be low speed accidents and fender benders, although there are many, every single day, that are much more serious. Each year auto accidents cost us 1.3 million (mostly young) lives, injure another 20 to 50 million individuals, and cost Americans collectively an average of $871 billion a year in medical bills and auto repair in Gary, IN and beyond—that’s slightly more than the budget for the entire U.S. military.

Unfortunately, these things happen. If you’re one of the many unlucky people involved in an auto accident today, here’s what you should do.

Check yourself and your passengers for injury

Before you do anything else, check yourself and then your passengers for injury. If anyone is hurt, immediately call 911 and wait in a safe place for an ambulance to arrive. If you or a passenger are seriously hurt, it may be best not to move and to instead wait in the car, as some injuries, such as broken bones, can be exacerbated by movement. If everyone in your car is uninjured, look in on the people in the other car (if you’re in a multi-vehicle accident, that is). The aim is not to encourage confrontation, but to make certain that no one in the other car needs medical assistance.

Get your car to safety

If you’re on a busy street or the interstate and your car can still drive, get it off onto the side of the road, and turn on your hazard lights. If your car cannot start, leave it where it is. Either way, we would suggest waiting outside the car, further from the street, just for your personal safety.

Call 911

In most states, it is legally required that you call an officer to the scene when you’re in an auto accident. They’ll help you fill out an accident report, and assist with determining fault. Basically, they make your insurance claims process a lot easier by providing you with all the official information necessary for your insurance provider. Calling 911 is of course even more important if anyone at the scene is injured.

Wait for help and exchange information

After you’ve called 911, you’ll want to wait for the police to arrive. In the meantime, assuming everyone is okay and able to keep calm, you should exchange your insurance information with any other party to the accident. There’s no need to discuss who is at fault yet, as that will likely be decided by the responding officer a little later.

Document your accident and notify your insurer

Take photos, get a copy of the accident report and call your insurer as soon as possible. Most insurers these days have streamlined the process so that you can just take pictures on your phone and submit an accident claim right away. Don’t do this until after you’ve gone through everything with the responding officer. Otherwise, you’ll have to do it all over again afterwards. Your insurer should subsequently help you find an approved auto repair service provider to perform any required auto repair.

If you’ve recently been in an accident and are looking for a trustworthy shop to perform your auto repair in Gary, IN, look no further than Miller Brakes and Mufflers, Inc. We’re a family owned and operated business, and are well trusted by area drivers because we always stand by our word. Whether you need extensive auto repair, mechanical work, body work or simply need an oil change, we’re the best in the business.

Categorised in: Auto Repair

This post was written by Writer