Motor vehicle accidents are very common and are happening everyday all around us. One moment you are on your way to work and the next you are panicked because someone has struck your vehicle. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, in 2020 there was a reportable car crash every 1 minute and 7 seconds. Thankfully, most car crashes will not result in significant bodily injury or death and therefore, you and the other party involved may decide that calling the police and filing a police report is unnecessary.
While calling the police may not always be necessary, it is important to know the steps that you should take in order to make sure that you will be able to recover any money for potential damages and expenses that occurred as a result of the accident.
If you decide not to call the police, it is important that you document certain things so that it is easier to recover these expenses through insurance whether it be through your own policy or the other party’s involved.
In order to do this, you will need to make sure you collect all of the other party’s information including their full name, address, and phone number if possible. If they have motor vehicle insurance, you should also try to get a picture of both the front and back sides of their insurance card as this will have vital information that you will need in order to file a claim with their insurance company.
You will also want to take pictures of the physical damage on your car and the other person’s vehicle and any other evidence that may be helpful so that the insurance adjuster will be able to make sense of what happened in the accident.
After you have all of the information, you can file claims with both your insurer as well as the other party’s. You can usually do this over the phone or on the insurer’s online portal.
It will also be a good idea for you to hire an attorney to assist you with the process of filing a claim and making sure that you get the compensation that you deserve. A lawyer will be able to ensure that the insurance companies have all of the information that they need in order to conduct a thorough investigation and offer you the compensation that you deserve. A lawyer will also be able to fight for a greater insurance settlement when an insurance company offers less compensation than what you are entitled to.
A police report serves as an extra piece of evidence that insurance adjusters will use to find who is at fault and how much they will be willing to pay for damages. It will have all of the information about what happened at the accident as well as the contact and insurance information. This is why if you choose not to file a police report, it is important that you document as much information as you can and hire an attorney that will be able to ensure that you get the best settlement and compensation possible.
If you have questions about a family law case contact a personal injury attorney, like the ones at Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC.