What to do after being involved in an accident

You are driving home from work after a busy day speeding down the road when all of a sudden another car appears out of nowhere right in front of you, so you slam on the brakes, but it is too late and your vehicles collide with each other . Now what?

STEP 1

For the car. You don’t want to make an accident worse by leaving the scene. Aside from being morally and ethically wrong, leaving the scene of an accident is a crime.

STEP 2

Make sure everyone is okay and that no one has been injured.

STEP 3

Call the police. In Oregon, you has to call the police if:

  • Damages to any vehicle exceed $ 2,500.00 (these days, almost any damage would be above this threshold);

  • Any vehicle is towed from the scene;

  • An injury or death as a result of the accident; gold,

  • Damage to property of anyone other than a vehicle involved in the accident is more than $ 2,500.00.

STEP 4

Exchange information. You must exchange the following information:

  • Name;

  • Address;

  • Phone number;

  • Insurance company and policy number;

  • Driver’s license number;

  • License number; and,

  • Make, model and color of the car.

If there were passengers in the car, you should also obtain their names and contact information.

STEP 5

Photograph and document the accident. Use your cell phone camera to take pictures of the general accident scene from each side, the general context of the accident, and the damage to each vehicle.

STEP 6

If you are injured, you should go to the emergency room immediately if your injuries warrant, or make an appointment as soon as possible with your primary care physician or an urgent care center.

STEP 7

Call your insurance company. You will need to tell them what happened and if you or any of your passengers were injured in the accident. This will get the claims process started and will likely speed up the time it takes to start receiving insurance benefits.

STEP 8

Within 72 hours of any accident, you must submit an Oregon Traffic Accident Report to the DMV. These forms must be submitted if any of the factors in step 2 are met. If you do not submit the Accident Report, the DMV may suspend your license.

Keeping these steps in mind after a car accident will make the insurance claim aspect of your accident much smoother and help hold all drivers accountable.

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