Car accidents can be some of the biggest inconveniences that can be experienced. No matter whether an accident was a small hit on the bumper, or as big as getting your car totaled, you need to make sure that you are legally and financially protected. Accidents can result in hefty healthcare costs, lawsuits, and possibly even trouble with the law. Here are five steps for how you should handle yourself in a car accident, making sure that you and your family get the protection that you need and deserve.

Call the Police

The first thing you should do when you get into a car accident, even if it’s not that serious, is call the Police. This will ensure that you get a police report documenting the car accident, individuals involved, and ultimately who was at fault. Too often you hear of stories of individuals getting into car accidents that they thought were minor, only to discover days or weeks later that the damage was much more serious than they had originally presumed. However, the party responsible can’t be reached for some odd reason or is now claiming they weren’t at fault. Situations like this always end up in court and can take months to resolve. Always, no matter how small the car accident is, call the police!

Call Your Insurance Company

The second action that you should take is to call your insurance company to tell them you were involved in an accident. Regardless of guilt, letting your insurance company know up front that you were involved in an accident will speed up the processing of your claim and will make it easier for you to go ahead and get a rental car. It will also help to speed up the repair process for your automobile. Your insurance company will also be able to instruct you about everything that you should do in order to protect yourself and the company. This usually includes not admitting guilt, or saying anything that might even cause a presumption of guilt, such as by saying “sorry.”
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