An automobile accident can be a scary experience. Here are a few tips you should follow after an accident to protect yourself from more stress after wards.
STAY CALM
This, by far, is the most valuable section of information in this article. Immediately following an car accident everyone eager is a little shook up. There may or may not be injuries keen. Vehicles are damaged, and there are fingers pointing blame at who may be at fault.
Assess the situation with a level head. If there is anyone with injuries, of if you are hurt yourself, dial 911 and request assistance. Head and spinal injuries are uncertain. You should leave moving an injured person with either of these injuries to professionals trained in removing a person from their vehicle.
CALL 911
This should be done immediately if there are injuries involved. If no one is hurt, you still need to file a formal police report, regardless of the extent of damage involved. This protects you whether you were at fault or not.
The days of exchanging insurance information and shaking hands are long gone. You need an impartial representative to document the facts at the scene of the accident, take sight statements, and assess fault. If you are the at fault party, this protects you from false damages and injuries possibly surfacing later. I have seen a $200 dent turn into a $25,000 claim because the at fault party was trusting the other person fervent.
Do not stammer with the other party about the accident at this time. If someone is hurt, medical assistance is on the way. Tempers could flare, making a bad situation worse. Remember, stay calm, and wait for police assistance.
PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE
Depending on where your accident occurred, you may be at risk to causing another accident or getting hit again. Immediately put on your hazard lights. This notifies other drivers around you to proceed with caution. If you are in an are where moving the vehicles would be in the best interests of everyone interested, then do so. Assess the situation with a level head. There are alot of factors to mediate.
If proving who is at fault can only be determined by the position of the vehicles, leave them until the police reach. I recommend every driver have an “accident kit” in their vehicle, complete with a camera, notebook and pen, and hazard cones or triangles. If you have a camera, and need to move your vehicle, take pictures of the accident scene before the vehicles are moved. This is your evidence.
If traffic permits, travel your vehicle to the far side of the road. Depending on the severity of the accident, this may allow the flow of traffic to resume and prevent another accident from occurring. Keep your hazard lights on until the police have arrived on the scene and taken their report. Slash them off only when you are leaving and everything is over. Your hazard lights reinforces to everyone around you they need to proceed with caution.
WITNESSES
Anyone that stops is a potential witness. Most people that witnessed an accident are going to conclude, ask if you are okay, and continue about their business. At the end of the day, you are left with a memory of faces, but no actual witnesses unless someone stops and waits with you for police to reach. When someone stops to ask about your welfare, ask if they saw what happened. Find out what they saw. If they did see the accident, earn their name and telephone number (with your handy notebook and pen). An eye gape is another unprejudiced person that can help protect you during the claims process.
DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT
Immediately following an accident emotions hasten high, You may be scared, injured, or even angry. Now is the best time to compile as much information as you can while it is fresh on your mind.
If you are equipped with a camera and your injuries do not prevent it, take pictures of everything. Your vehicle, their vehicle, surroundings, anything that may be critical to your claim.
Write down the accomplish and models of vehicles involved, license plates if possible, witness information, vehicle placement, and an honest description of what exactly happened. One key thing is the description of the driver, especially if there were more than one person in the other vehicle. Many times the person driving before an accident isn't the person reported on the police report. I have even seen drivers leave the scene of an accident before police arrive, only for a different “driver” to return and take the blame. All of this will be important during the claims process.
Document all damages and injuries to yourself, the other driver, and any passengers alive to. If there are any skid marks, damaged poles or anything else- write it down and prefer pictures if possible.
THE POLICE REPORT
Do not discuss the accident, cause, or assess who is at fault with the other party. Save that for the police report. The police officer will document who he believes is at fault based on several factors. He or she will consider witnesses at the scene, damages, location of the accident, traffic, and who's story seems the most believable.
If you are injured, or feel any misfortune attributed to the accident, inform the officer of this. A cramped pain now can be a larger harm later. Make sure the injuries to your passengers, if any, are documented as well.
Provide the officer with your insurance information and be sure that the other party's insurance information is documented as well. If you believe that someone should receive a traffic ticket or infraction based on the accident, inquire about it with the officer and find out if any citations or tickets will be issued. Be sure to request a copy of the police report. Some localities may be able to provide a copy to you on the spot. Others have a waiting period, normally a couple of days, and you have to go and request it from the police station or download it on-line.
The responding police officer is usually the first “judge” in the automobile accident claims process. His opinion is not only the first one, but is also the one that others will injurious their plan on. That is why you need to be prepared with facts and cold-hard evidence. Your pictures and witnesses point to what happened before the officer came on the scene and are harder to dispute than an notion of what happened.
CALL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY
When the smoke clears and you have completed your police report, now is the time you contact your insurance company. Notify them of the accident, and all damages and injuries involved if any. Withhold in mind they are not only looking out for your best interest, but their best interest as well. Your documentation of the chain of events, witness information and pictures will ensure that their best interest is your best interest as well.
Provide the insurance company with a listing of any damages, including any personal property inside of the vehicle that may have been damaged in the accident. Any injuries sustained or pains should be reported to your insurance company immediately.
Depending on how bad the accident was and what coverages you have, your insurance company may be able to get your vehicle towed and a rental car for your use. Those two coverages are optional on your insurance policy. If you do not have coverage for towing or a rental car, it may be in your best interest to add it. Those exiguous additions only add a couple extra dollars a month to your policy and can save you a lot of headaches.
Filed under Automobile Insurance Information by on Mar 14th, 2011. Comment. 
The Unemployment Extension 2010 Bill is still at a stalemate in the Senate as unemployed people are struggling to survive. Each time the bill has near up for a vote it has been turned down. There is to be a new vote taken on the Unemployment Extension 2010 Bill and this time it is expected to pass. It is past the critical stage for some and can only get worse every day that the bill sits stagnant in the Senate. The vote is slated for Monday, July 19th.
There has been barely a whisper coming from the White House about the crisis facing the unemployed every day. This is the same administration that made great noise around bailing out the banks, insurance companies and automobile manufacturers.
Monday July 19th is the day slated for the unemployment extension 2010 bill to be voted on once again, but has anything changed? Did the Senators find it hard to sleep on their long July vacation? Are they in a run to start their long August recess? The bill is in the hands of these men and women who most likely never had to misfortune where their next meal is coming from.
Senator Hatch proposed drug testing anyone applying for the unemployment benefits. Although this does not seem to be an issue at this time, this is the most degrading proposal ever to be presented. This proves how out of touch with reality this voting process has become. To operate a drug testing component with unemployment benefits would be a waste of the taxpayers money and making millions for the pharmaceutical companies who supply the test.
There needs to be a replacement appointed for Senator Byrd’s seat before the Unemployment Extension 2010 bill is voted on. “Once the West Virginia senator is appointed, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that another vote will be taken on a standalone bill. The bill will extend unemployment benefits to people who are eligible and who have been out of work for more than twenty-six weeks”, according to “News Around the World Today”.
The senator who is appointed to take the vacant West Virginia seat that was Senator Byrd’s is expected to provide the vote that is needed to pass that bill.
The numbers of unemployed workers in Connecticut is at 8.9 %. This is high, but not as high as other states such as Nevada, which has long past double digits with 14% of that state being unemployed. North Dakota has fared the best with their unemployment statistics weighing in at 3.6%, according to the Daily News.
Reference: News Around the World Today, Daily News.
Filed under Automobile Insurance Information by on Feb 24th, 2011. Comment.
There is growing support among politicians for what is being called the “Sizable 3 Bailout,” a federal stimulus package designed to keep the automobile industry, for decades the cornerstone of the American economy, from slipping into bankruptcy and/or total corporate collapse. Congress passed legislation to appropriate $25 billion to the automakers days before they passed the 0 billion Wall Street bailout. Yet, third-quarter sales losses are forcing General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler to turn to the federal government for money to stay afloat.
Rahm Emanuel told audiences Sunday, November 9, watching both ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” and CBS’ “Face The Nation” that President-Elect Barack Obama’s first priority after the inauguration would be to get to work on the economic crisis. Getting a stimulus package through Congress, extending unemployment benefits, and helping states pay for health care costs were at the top of the list, assured Obama’s new Chief of Staff. He added that the new President was intent on expanding health care coverage, making education more affordable, and revamping the nation’s energy policy – all geared toward reviving the middle class.
And those reassuring words were what a troubled nation needed to hear. Although polls prove that President-Elect Obama’s first press conference was seen by most people as a success, the news of the day that preceded the press conference did small to help inspire and uplift.
Ford was first to report bad news out of Detroit. General Motors then reported substantial third quarter losses. Thousands of layoffs were announced. Both companies’ stocks took substantial hits. By Monday, General Motors stock was trading at its lowest in its history. By Tuesday, it had set a new low. An emergency bailout of the auto industry – dubbed the “Big 3 Bailout” — was called for and is supported by incoming President Obama.
All of the Big 3 automakers — Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler — have reported 20% losses for the year. It is believed the final year-end reports will be worse.
The argument in favor of the “Big 3 Bailout” is much the same argument customary in bailing out AIG – the ripple effect from the collapse of the automobile industry would be far too great an economic trouble to allow to let happen. General Motors alone employees over 750,000 people. Added to the catastrophe would be insurance policies, pension funds, subsidiary companies and their employees, affiliated companies and their employees.
But that wasn’t all. The Department of Labor reported 240,000 jobs lost in October, driving the total number of jobs lost for the year to 1.2 million.
Just the week before, the U. S. saw its 17th bank failure for the year. Freedom Bank of Florida was taken over by the Federal Direct Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
On Monday, AIG, the financial giant that the government has already loaned $200 million, asked for more. The federal government gave them an additional $27 million, bringing their total bailout/ buyout to $150 billion. The embattled lending giant came under fire for corporate excess on Tuesday for footing the bill for a $150,000 sales conference at a posh Arizona resort last week.
And if all those economic calamities weren’t enough, news from Europe and Asia were not promising either. It was announced that the failure of Iceland’s bank would cost England $1.3 billion.
On Sunday, China announced that it was going to appropriate $526 billion for a bailout to help their dying economy. China is the world’s fourth largest economy. That economy is driven predominantly by exports. Since the world market is uncomfortable, demand for Chinese goods have decreased, placing China in economic straits alongside the rest of the world.
And economists like Nobel Prize-winning economist and author Joseph Stiglitz have warned that it does not look as if the economy will start an upturn anytime soon. In fact, it could be years before the economy registers an upswing.
A Rasmussen Poll released on November 12 shows that while the consumer and investment confidence are at report lows, President-Elect Obama is enjoying higher approval ratings. Overall, 58% of Americans polled approve of President-Elect Obama’s handling of the transition to power, 38% abhor.
And although the new president will inherit a myriad problems upon entering the White House, it is becoming quite evident that the economy will be Priority One and remain so for quite some time.
Sources:
WashingtonPost.com
RasmussenReports.com
ABC Television
CBS Television
VOANews.com
Associated Press
Filed under Automobile Insurance Information by on Feb 20th, 2011. Comment.
Car insurance plan prices vary widely, so it is a nice concept to check other company’s costs periodically to make certain you are obtaining the top deal It is also a decent notion to examine costs and policies when you acquire a new automotive considering that your new automobile could very well be in a various category than your old 1
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Filed under Automobile Insurance Information by on Nov 10th, 2010. Comment.
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Filed under Automobile Insurance Information by on Nov 8th, 2010. Comment.
