Unfortunately, you have just had a car accident. What are the steps to follow after the accident to be sure to be well covered by your insurance and compensated as it should be?
1 – Safety reflexes to adopt
Warning triangle to be placed 100 meters before the accident
As far as possible, the first thing to do to avoid a domino effect is to delimit the scene of the accident even before the arrival of help.
Alert the necessary authorities. If one of the drivers is injured, call 15 (the samu) or 18 (the fire brigade). Also contact 17 for law enforcement.
Next, protect the rugged perimeter. To do this, be sure to wear a retro-reflective vest, especially if you are on a busy road. Place your warning triangle several meters away from the car accident, and turn on your hazard lights to make the area even more visible.
2 – The steps to follow after a car accident: fill in the accident report
Whether you have a car accident day or night, in the city or in the countryside, the first reflex to have following a car accident, if possible, is to write down or take a picture of the license plate. of the car involved (or all the plates if several cars are involved). Similarly, it may be useful to note the contact details of potential witnesses . Their testimony could be useful in the event of complications or disagreements between the different parties.
Then, if at least one other car is involved in the accident, you must complete a joint report. Each driver must have a blank form to fill out, but it is enough for one of the two drivers to fill it out. The amicable report is essential to optimize the efficiency of insurance , because it considerably speeds up the processing of the file. Because it gathers key information about the accident, it allows insurance to compensate you more quickly. The amicable report gives necessary information on the circumstances of the accident, the apparent damage, the insurance of the vehicles concerned, the contact details of the insured, their contract number… The part intended for the report must ideally be completely filled in and then signed at the scene of the car accident. The part concerning the declaration of the accident is completed individually by each driver concerned by the accident.
The information provided on the front of the joint report and signed by the two drivers prevails over that which appears on the back and which could have been added later. Complete carefully and without rushing the common part, because once signed, it is a very complicated document to dispute.
3 – What documents to provide to the insurer to be compensated?
Has your vehicle been damaged in a car accident? To be compensated, you must return several administrative documents to your insurer within 8 days of the accident. Here are the parts to return to your insurance after a car accident:the amicable report completed and signed.a copy of the report or the number of the report if the police intervened.any additional document likely to provide useful information, such as photos for example.