February 2018
Being involved in an auto accident can be a jarring and stressful experience.
Once the initial shock of the accident is over and you have assessed that everyone involved is OK, your mind will most likely be racing through a million different thoughts.
The biggest question that will come to mind is, “What happens next?” Remember, you just went through a shocking and potentially traumatic experience, so it’s completely fine to take a few moments to collect yourself before proceeding to the next steps.
As soon as you have taken some time to assess the situation and compose your thoughts, there are some things that need to be taken care of. Keep reading to learn the next steps and contact Hassis Paintworks today to learn about our free estimates on auto body collision repair.
THE NEXT STEPS
OK, so you’ve been in an auto accident. That is a bummer. Hopefully, it was a fairly minor fender bender and won’t require too much stress on either end. But in order to determine that, there are a few steps you need to take. Here’s where you can start.
• Move Over: If you are physically and mentally OK, and your car still has the capability to move, it’s best that you slide over to a safe area, such as the road shoulder. That way, you can get out of the way and protect yourself against further damages. If you can’t move, be sure to turn on your hazard lights to warn other drivers on the road that you are there—and will be there for some time.
• Check On The Other Car: Next, you’ll want to step out of your car and make sure the other vehicle (if there was one) and its passengers are all safe and accounted for. If someone is a little bit shaken up, it may be best to contact a medical emergency team immediately.
• Call Police: Even if nobody is seriously injured, the police are most likely going to be involved. Not only can they help further protect the accident scene, but they can also be useful when it comes to filing an accident report and ultimately an insurance claim. Make sure you cooperate with police completely and give them all of the details you have without assessing blame or admitting fault, when possible.
• Get Information: Once police are on the scene and can properly mediate the situation, it’s time to start collecting information about the accident. A few things you will want to jot down include the passenger information (names, insurance info, driver’s license info, and contact info) from the other vehicle, license plate numbers, makes and models of each vehicle, eyewitness information, the location of the accident, and the name of the police officer who was at the scene. You would also be well-served to take photos and document the scene, which can come in handy when the time comes to file an insurance claim.
• Contact Insurance: Now comes the part where you file an insurance claim in order to minimize or eliminate the costs that you may be facing. Whether you have just a minor dent or extensive structural damage, insurance (yours or the driver at fault) can be a huge help in offsetting the costs and finding the right auto body collision repair shop.
• Contact a Reliable Collision Repair Facility: The next and final step is to contact your friendly neighborhood auto body collision repair experts in Stillwater. At Hassis Paintworks, our auto body technicians are well-equipped to handle auto structural repairs following a collision.
Don’t let an auto accident stress you out to the point of no return. In most cases, our auto body technicians can return your vehicle back to the way it was before the accident. So don’t fret, just contact Hassis Paintworks for auto body collision repair in Stillwater, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the entire Metro area for an accurate and honest estimate.