Critical Questions You Should Never Forget To Ask After A Car Accident
Car accidents happen, whether it's from hitting a pothole and losing control of your vehicle or merely breaking slow and having a rear-end collision. Whenever it does happen, though, drivers tend to become shaken and may overlook or forget the important details that need to take place immediately after. One of the most important things that needs to happen after a car accident is the questions that need to be asked followed by gathering the information necessary from the answers given.
However, before diving into the questions you need to ask after the incident, it's important to understand that the first and utterly most critical piece of information to find out is if everyone is okay. Insurance and drivers' information are second priority to the health and safety of each person involved in any given accident. When you call 9-1-1, usually the first question the operator will ask is if anyone is hurt, so it's necessary to have this information before proceeding to the next set of questions.
Other questions you should be asking
Once an accident occurs, all the drivers should remain at the scene. Leaving the scene of an accident can have consequences such as large fees or even jail time. You'll want to make sure everyone's vehicle isn't damaged to the point of being a safety hazard like with certain leaking fluids or electrical failures. For example, if a catalytic convertor is overheating and comes in contact with flammable materials, the vehicle can catch fire. Though there isn't much you can do about this, it is good to have the information to give to 9-1-1 and to help keep everyone away from their cars just in case.
You also need to ask for the drivers' information, including their phone numbers. It is common to take photos of their drivers' licenses, insurance cards, and vehicles with license plates in the photos' frames. Additionally, while you have insurance cards in your possession, you'll be able to make sure that their insurance is valid and up-to-date. If there are any witnesses present, see if they are willing to give you their name and phone number along with a report of what they saw happen.
Lastly, make sure to ask if anyone has a dash camera installed in their vehicle. Many dash cams have the ability to watch the footage at the scene of the accident, so you can show the police exactly what happened before they start writing up the accident report. Sometimes, dash cams can make or break the decision about which person's insurance has to pay for damages.