At Prestige Auto KC, we understand that in many car accidents, it can be difficult to determine who is actually responsible – or whether both parties may be at least partially to blame. Hopefully if you have been involved in a collision, you were not seriously injured and the accident was not your fault. In the United States, millions of car accidents occur every year. Your insurance company will likely provide you with a list of steps to take following a collision in order to reduce your liability, such as filing a police report, not discussing the details of the accident with the other driver, and contacting your insurance provider. Still, is this sufficient to protect you in terms of potential liability for the accident?
As trusted Kansas City collision repair specialists, here is a car accident checklist for you:
- Immediately following an accident, take pictures – that is, if you are not injured and are able. Take pictures from behind the wheel, and from various angles outside your vehicle so that the damage is clearly apparent, and the perspective of the accident can be seen in the photos.
- Be patient while waiting for police to arrive, and consider carefully what you will say when a police officer gets there. You may even want to record yourself, and record your conversation with police – this is perfectly legal.
- Review the police report carefully. A police report can be changed, so if a statement you made is not correctly documented by police, request that it be corrected.
- Do not leave the scene of the accident until you have spoken with police. You may also want to consider speaking with a car accident attorney, as an experienced lawyer can give you further direction on what to do or not do in order to limit your liability. Most attorneys will advise you to collect information from all who are involved or present including license plate number, name, address, telephone number, insurance provider, etc. Also gather information from any witnesses who saw the accident which may be to your benefit.
- Check on others who were involved to ensure they are okay; while exchanging the information mentioned above, do not discuss the actual accident. What you want to avoid is getting into a “he said, she said” situation, or saying anything at all that could potentially put partial blame on yourself.
Depending on how the accident occurred and the impact, damage from an auto accident can be considerable, leaving you with anything from a small dent in the bumper to creases in a fender or severe hood, trunk, or side/door damage. In terms of collision repair in Kansas City, the Prestige Auto collision repair and auto body specialists are the experts you can count on to make your car look like new again! From structural and cosmetic repairs to paint preparation, painting, reassembly, mechanical and interior damage repair, we do it all. Give us a call today, and know you’re putting your vehicle in caring, competent hands.
