5 On Your Side
4 steps to making a car crash less complicated
More wrecks involving vehicles occur during winter weather events, but what do you do if you are involved in a crash?
Posted 2017-01-09T22:06:26+00:00 - Updated 2017-01-09T23:56:26+00:00
Stay safe: What to do if you are involved in a wreck
More wrecks involving vehicles occur during winter weather events, but what do you do if you are involved in a crash? The immediate aftermath is usually stressful and emotional - regardless of injuries. Taking the right steps beyond exchanging insurance information can greatly help what happens after the wreck.
- If you are able to, state law requires the vehicles to be moved to the shoulder. Also, turn the flashers on then get a safe distance away and dial 911. The law also requires police be called if damage is more than $1,000. According to experts, even if damage is minor, call police to protect yourself.
- Take a lot of pictures of the damage to all of the vehicles involved, and anything else that happened. Take notes, too. These things will make dealing with the aftermath easier.
- Get names and addresses of any witnesses who stop.
- If you abandoned your car and it gets towed, check the state highway patrol website which lets you search for towed vehicles by owner name, license plate number or VIN number.