Anyone can run into an accident with either their fault or the other party's leaving their cars damaged and the passengers hurt. Now, just think would a person's mind be able to work properly in this scene about what to do. I myself had been involved in an accident and was mostly thinking about what happened and how instead of calling the insurer immediately. So to deal with such a situation you should be prepared and know what steps to take in such situations.

Extent of Damage or Injuries

What had to happen can't be undone and so don't panic. Quickly analyze the situation. Forget the car and look at yourself and if there are passengers check if anyone is hurt and needs medical attention.

Should you file a claim?

This is the first thing to ask your self. Each claim that you will file is presented on your Insurance record and too many claims may get your insurance policy cancelled, premium raise etc. so if you see that it's a mere dent in the plastic bumper that will cost a small amount out of your pocket without causing any troubles then there is really no need of filing a claim. However, if the nature of accident is serious or you have to pay a lot more then there should be no hesitation in filing the claim.

File a Car Accident Report with the Police

You should call the police at scene and file the accident report with the police so that there is a legal report present to give to the insurance company. Talk with the police and insurer only.

Collecting Personal Info

You should record the information at the scene such as the names, phones, addresses, vehicle description and their identification number of all the people involved in the accident. The insurance companies don't really keep the license plate number so noting it would not be necessary. Also if there are any witnesses around you should also get their contact information. At the time of claim, if it is necessary, you can have a witness to confirm the accident for your payments.

File the Claim

Once you have recovered a bit from what has happened you should immediately file a claim with your insurance company. Insurance companies don't like to hear about accidents and especially if it not fresh. Sometimes a police officer can describe more appropriately to the agent about the accident. Be careful in each and every step of claim process and document everything. Note the names of the people you are sent to in the claim department during this process. In case there is no progress in the claim you can ask the company to let you meet the supervisors and if they refuse you can go to the states insurance department. if that doesn't work either then the last option is the small claims court in your local area. Although we hope that the matter doesn't get to this but still these informal proceedings will end in a timely manner.