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There are many ways to avoid a car accident but once one happens it is important to know what to do and what questions may need to be answered by the other person involved in order to make your insurance claim. This checklist will help you know what to do after a road crash.

Access the Situation
Check to see if anyone is injured or requires urgent medical care.

Contact the Police
Even in a minor accident, it is important to make sure there is a legal accident report. Read more about how to file a police report when you have a car accident in the article “Your Accident and the Police”.

Get the Facts of Your Car Accident
Being involved in a road crash can be very stressful and the last thing you need is to be worrying about the information you need to fill out. We have prepared this brief guide which will help support you. Most people know to do after a road crash but often forget due to the stress of the crash.

It is important to get names, address, and phone numbers of everyone involved in the accident. A description of the car and license plate number can also be helpful, but make sure you also get their insurance company and the vehicle identification number of their car.

List of Information to Collect After a Car Accident About the Driver
Insurance company name
Insurance company policy number

List of Information to Collect About the Car Accident or Collision

  • Date and Time of the Accident
  • Address of the accident, or approximate address
  • Road you are on and the nearest cross street
  • The direction you were traveling in
  • The direction the other car was traveling in
  • Take photos from a few angles or sketch a diagram of the crash scene
  • What happened (As soon as you can write out your account of what happened, or use your mobile phone to record yourself telling all the details for your own records. It’s easy to forget the details when you are all shaken up from a crash, so recording you talking about it might help).
  • Any notes regarding the driving conditions, the weather, visibility
  • Any witnesses names and contact information

With most people having access to mobile phones, and cameras on the mobile phone, you may consider taking photos. This is especially useful for property damage images, images of the positioning of the cars, where they were on the street, etc.