What To Do When In A Vehicle Accident
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Last week I talked about some scamming methods that bad guys use to collect your personal information or convince you to send them money under false pretenses. Since there is no end to the ways people can set up a scam, I wanted to address another popular method of scamming cash, which is through vehicular accidents. Unfortunately, even your average law-abiding citizens appear to want to get in on this seemingly victimless crime. Throughout my career, it never ceased to amaze me the number of people claiming injuries due to a fender bender. I assume people see it as easy money from the insurance company and a way to ensure that all of their expenses related to an accident are covered. Unfortunately, people fail to understand that every time an insurance company pays out, the rates increase for the individual who caused the accident and for all other insured clients when annual increases occur. Insurance companies will always maintain profit margins, so when fake claims get paid, we all end up paying for them in terms of annual increases. That's right, you and I foot those claims through higher premiums.
Phoenix, AZ
Car accidents are big business. Just look at all the billboards advertising for attorneys wanting to represent you. We see and hear them on TV and radio, all offering to help with our cases. Remember the local jingle, "In a wreck and need a check?" I rest my case. Visit any attorney website that represents people involved in car accidents. While sound, you will find that most gear their advice toward filing claims and retaining their services.
There is no set order of what to do when involved in an accident. How it unfolds, where it occurs, and the severity will dictate your next steps. However, here are a few things that you should be mindful of and will need to address if ever involved in an accident:
Never leave the scene of an accident; the trouble that follows this action is worse than the consequences of the accident itself.
Check yourself and your passengers for injury, and then attend to the other vehicle's occupants. Call 911 if medical is needed and request a police response. Some agencies are no longer responding to simple accidents, so the following information will help you navigate the rest of the accident process if officers do not respond.
If officers respond, ensure that you get a case number and the officer's name so you can provide that to your insurance company.
Take 360-degree pictures of the accident scene and the vehicles' location before moving them. Of course, you want to accomplish this quickly and move the cars to a safer place if the vehicles are moveable and on a busy street. If you must remain, turn on your flashers and set cones or flares when available.
Once the scene is safe, begin collecting the information you need.
Exchange driver information, including a driver's license and insurance card. Verify that their address is current and obtain a phone number if possible.
Get names and contact information for passengers or witnesses who were present and observed the accident. Get them to write a statement or, better yet, record their statement with your phone. Nevada is a one-party consent state, meaning you can record without advising the other person.
I also recommend recording with at least audio. Video is better, but any driver's statements must be captured. Do not admit fault on your part or absence of injury. However, this is a time to ask if the other driver is injured, and a video can document their movements. I recommend recording secretly, so the other driver is not alerted to your actions.
Video also works well for documenting damage. You can walk around the vehicles, zoom in, and get all the still photos you want from the video later. Of course, it never hurts to do both, but videoing the damage also gives you a reason to have your video camera rolling during conversations.
Call tow trucks if needed. It takes time for them to arrive, so if you do not have a police officer en route, call early and get a tow truck started.
Call their insurance company to verify their insurance is valid before they leave. Some people get insurance and then cancel the policy after they get cards. You do not want to release them from the scene only to find they had no insurance.
Follow up with medical if you have any lingering effects from the accident. It is better to get it documented early, just in case.
Check with local businesses to see if they have surveillance footage of the accident. Nearly every business has cameras; it is worth the check to see if the accident was captured on their system.
Notify your insurance company and provide them with the information you collected during the accident.
I share this information because my wife was involved in a simple accident where the other driver was walking around the scene, getting in and out of her car, and openly admitting that she was uninjured. Yet, a few weeks later, we were advised by our insurance company that she retained an attorney and was claiming injury and loss of work. Thank goodness we had her on video where we could show her uninjured and admitting it as such. As a former police officer, I welcomed the use of video. As long as you are doing the right thing, it saves you from false claims. I can not even count the number of complaints against my officers dispelled by the facts captured on video. This evidence often proves to be the most valuable of all.
Here at Boss Security Screens, we walk alongside our readers and work to be a resource for you. We offer blogs and webinars, and if you submit questions to me, I will get them researched and provide a blog posting for your specific inquiry.
Until next time…be safe and be prepared!
Written by,
Michael Johnston
Chief Security Advisor at Boss Security Screens
* Content for this article was obtained from the following sources:
*The author is a paid consultant and product representative for Boss Security Screens. The information provided in this blog does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials are the author's opinion and for general informational purposes only. It is recommended that you consult an attorney, certified trainers, or licensed providers before acting on any information provided. This website may link to other third-party websites. Such links are for the convenience of the reader and are not endorsed by the author.