Parties You Need to Touch Base with After a Car Accident You Didn’t Cause

1. September 5, 2017 Parties You Need to Touch Base with After a Car Accident You Didn’t Cause Every year, 20-50 million people are injured or disabled from car accidents. Because they are fairly common and sometimes unavoidable, it’s important to know how to handle them. In particular, you need to know how to deal with the following parties. 1

2. Witnesses It’s possible that there are bystanders who saw the accident unfold. It’s a good idea to reach out to these people because they can help corroborate your side of the story. The trick, however, is to convince them on being a witness. The best way you can approach witnesses is to ask them first if you can have their information. You’ll need these details should you need to ask them to testify for you in court. If they aren’t comfortable giving out their contact information, you can still see if they would be willing to give a statement to the police. This helps the officer overseeing the accident get a clear story of what really happened. The Other Party Probably the most stressful party to deal with is the person who hit your vehicle. How they react initially depends on how you respond. Don’t start the conversation off by yelling and pointing the finger. This only escalates the matter and violence might result. Instead, stay as calm as you can and see if they are okay. If they are, you can begin exchanging insurance information and come to a reasonable solution. A lot of times if you’re nice and says it’s okay, they will admit fault and get the insurance process rolling. If the other party suddenly takes off, try to remember their license plate number, vehicle color, make, and car model. This helps police identify the car later if the accident resulted in a hit and run. Insurance Adjusters As soon as you can, you’ll need to contact your insurance provider and let them know exactly what happened. Under no circumstances should you admit fault because then they probably won’t cover anything. Show them the police report and any damage that you were able to document. Pictures are probably your best bet for showing what exactly happened to your vehicle. Sometimes, pictures are not required when the insurance company sends out their own evaluator to assess the damage. 2

3. If you’re required to talk to the other party’s insurance company, only provide a recorded statement if you’re comfortable. You also can always hire an attorney to deal with this party, so that you don’t say anything that would ultimately hurt your case. They’ll make sure insurance company representatives leave you alone. When you deal with the aforementioned parties correctly, you can move on from a stressful and unexpected car accident. Legal counsel is always available if you’re not sure what step to take next. About Little, Oliver & Gallagher: If you’re ever involved in an accident and need legal representation, contact Little, Oliver & Gallagher. Our legal professionals can take you through this entire process, from coming up with a compensation amount to providing the necessary evidence that will help win the case. Contact us today online or in person. Sources: Annual Global Road Crash Statistics, asirt.org What to Do After a Car Accident, statefarm.com 3