Car accidents are very common now-a-days. Over speeding, not following the rules of traffic, untrained drivers, bad condition of roads, weather conditions, and improper maintained cars are some of the reasons of accidents. We all must drive responsibly and sensibly, however, if we meet an accident we should know what to do immediately after the incident.
In case your car is hit by another car, you may be going through a lot of mixed emotions like anger, fear, aggressiveness etc, however, the best thing to do at that time is to calm yourself down and take a deep breath. Immediately after you come back in your senses, you need to take a look at your body and the other persons which are with you. If you got an injury, don't make a delay in calling for an ambulance right away.
The next step should be to ask help from the police. It is always advisable to get in contact with police even if you engage in a slight accident. Don't vanish from the picture unless your case is finished. The police have right and are liable to look into the incident and make a comprehensive report. Moreover, wherever any information is wanted by anyone the police supply all the comprehensive information. Police report is always valuable for the insurance company to start processing your claim rapidly; hence you should always give it a preference.
To clear your situation, take pictures of the site and exact spot. You can simply do it if you have integrated camera in cell phone. Note down the facts of the colliding car such as its shade, model-make, and registration number. Also record the details of the driver which should include driver's name, contact address, and cell number. Drawing the sight on the paper will also be useful. You should draw it carefully keeping in mind the side from which the cars are coming and how it actually took place. If there is some eyewitness, note down his/ her name, address, and contact number. The witness is useful if the other driver don't commit his mistake even if he is responsible.
After this, you must get in touch with your insurance group. It would be better for you if you get in touch with them when the police officer is on the sight. The officer can clarify the complete event better than you as you might not be in your full senses to describe the happening to your insurance company's agent. By doing this your insurance claim will be processed fast and it would save your costly time. Once this early process is finished by the insurance company, you must continuously keep a track of them for the claim.
If you had a small accident then to keep yourself away from hassle, don't contact the police and resolve the stuff by yourself. The one who knows he/she is accountable should compensate other, if not then everybody has to go for the long process and that will not be worth your valuable time.
On the other hand, the money may be coming from the insurance company for the repairs, but keep in mind you have to control the repairs. You might also get less money than the market value for repairs.
It is seen that people do not read the insurance policy carefully when they buy it. You must read the insurance policy before you sign it, because when the accident occurs you feel the importance of payment issue from the insurance company.