UNDERSTANDING THE “SECOND” THINGS YOU SHOULD DO AFTER AN ACCIDENT

You may know the first things to do after an accident, but you also need to be prepared to address the “second” things you must do after returning from the hospital, when you’re receiving phone calls and letters in the mail concerning the accident.

The next thing you should do – if you haven’t already – is report the collision to your insurance company.  The sooner you report the collision, the sooner the insurance company can begin investigating the facts of the claim.  Some insurance companies require accidents to be reported within a given time period to make a claim, so you should use the earliest practical opportunity to complete this task.

Another reason to report your collision promptly is that if your car has been impounded it is likely going to be in short-term storage, and that can be very expensive.  Insurance companies usually do not want to pay for those expensive fees, and when you report the collision your insurance company will likely move your vehicle to their own storage with more reasonable fees.

California requires by law that any collision with bodily injury or $1,000+ of property damage be reported to the DMV.  The purpose of this law is to be sure that everyone involved had active automobile insurance at the time of the collision.  There is a Form SR1 available on the internet that is easy to fill out – simply complete the information that you know.  Watch the video to learn more.

If you have additional questions about what you should do following your involvement in a car accident, I want you to call me at (559) 702-5124.  I welcome your call.  Visit our educational website at www.NunesLaw.com for more videos and media content from our law firm.