Anatomy of a Wreck: What Not to Do

Everyone lives this reality. Wrecks happen, and they happen often. Consider the following case:

It takes about five minutes for Jordan to get from her front door to the frozen food selection on Aisle 5 of the local grocery store. However, it only took about 10 seconds one afternoon on an emergency milk run to completely total her car. About a mile and a half away from the store, she was T-boned on the driver’s side of her VW Jetta by a rogue tracking missile, manufactured by Buick.

She was making a left turn out of a neighborhood onto a main road at the same time a little old manwas decided to attempt a U-turn across the median. The thing is, he didn’t decide to make this U-turn until Jordan was halfway into the left lane. His Buick LeSabre turned like an automated drone and came crashing into Jordan before she even knew what hit her.

For her part, Jordan had no idea what had just happened. One second she was pulling out into the empty road after this little old man rolled by, and the next she was being attacked by a Buick. How could he not have seen her?

Both drivers got out of their cars. Jordan, despite her anger at the situation, calmly asked the man if he was alright. Fortunately, he was, and Jordan was, too. However, a line of cars had already started to form around the wreck, so the drivers decided to move the cars out of the way.

That was a bad idea. Why? Once they moved the cars, there was no way to prove what had happened. Based solely on the damage to both vehicles, it looked as though Jordan had simply pulled out in front of him as he was traveling in the right lane. Because there were no other witnesses (and the story of a boomerang Buick seemed ridiculous), the actual damage was the only proof police had to file a report. Therefore, Jordan was found at fault.

Fortunately, she had the foresight to invest in a smart car insurance policy that included collision coverage. However, as she repeated her story to her insurance agent, customer service reps and the adjuster, she kept hearing the same response: Why didn’t you take photos?

Rest assured, she learned her lesson. Rather than immediately moving out of traffic after an accident, drivers should follow a few important steps in order to ensure that authorities and insurance companies get the information they need to make a fair judgment.

If a rogue Buick crashes into you:

• Take a deep breath, turn on your hazards and calmly exit the vehicle.
• Check yourself and other passengers for injuries.
• Ask the other party if everyone is OK.
• Call an ambulance if necessary and notify police.
• Take pictures of damage to BOTH cars, the location and any injuries sustained.
• Move the cars safely out of traffic if they are blocking the road.
• Make notes of the names of everyone involved, including any witnesses.
• File a report with the police, and then immediately contact your insurance agent to start the process of filing a claim.

Even though nearly everyone has cameras on their phones these days, it’s not a bad idea to keep a disposable camera in your glove box in addition to your insurance information, orange cones and pens and paper.

Take it from Jordan, an accident can happen anytime, anywhere, and it only takes a couple of seconds. Make sure you’re always prepared, and record the facts so you won’t get blamed for an accident that’s not your fault.

Source: AutoInsurance