You were just involved in an auto accident, and the panic kicks in! “what do I do??” relax.. Do not panic. First and foremost, make sure everyone is okay. If there are any injured parties, call 911 immediately. Check your car, and the other car for apparent damages. Most people are carrying around a camera in their pocket these days, so pull out your cell phone and snap pictures of the damages to both vehicles, or any property damage involved. Always get the other parties insurance information, such as policy number, name of their insurance company, and the phone number to the claims department. You should also obtain the other parties name, driver’s license number and license plate number. Last, but not least get their best contact phone number and address.
The police will most likely not come out to the scene for a police report, unless there are injuries. You should not claim fault; that will be for claims to decide. You should not discuss your coverages with the other party, or their insurance provider. You will want to call your claims department as soon as possible, the phone number is generally listed on your insurance ID cards. They will assign a claims representative, which will help you with all the details of your claim. In some cases, if the other party was 100% at fault, you can also file the claim directly with their insurance provider.
Claims are generally an easy process, as most companies are looking to complete the process as quickly as possible. In most situations where a claim is taking longer than expected, it is due to lack of communication. Make sure to give your claims representative multiple contact phone numbers, and email addresses if possible. If you were to ever have difficulties with your claim, you can also contact your agent for further help.