A car crash isn’t just going to be a source of expense and injury. It is also a major disruption to your daily life. The things that you do or say right after the collision will have a big influence on what happens later.
Saying the wrong saying or failing to take the right steps could complicate your insurance claim or make it harder for you to file a lawsuit against the driver at fault for the wreck. Your phone can be a powerful tool to help protect yourself. What are some of the ways it can help you after a collision?
Contact the police
Louisiana state law typically requires that you report significant car crashes, but there are drivers who will try to convince you to resolve the situation without involving law enforcement. They may have an ulterior motive for doing so.
If they don’t have insurance or a license, keeping the police uninvolved benefits that driver. It also hurts your chances of taking the other driver to court if they don’t make good on their promises to help you repair your vehicle. Creating a police report and telling the officer who responded about what happened prior to a crash will be crucial to protect yourself as the driver not at fault.
Use your phone to collect evidence
Ideally, the other person involved in the crash will admit that they are responsible for the collision when one occurs. Unfortunately, that often is not the case.
It could be your word against the other driver’s if there are no cameras nearby to capture footage of the crash in progress, which is why taking a moment to get video and multiple photos of your vehicle and the other vehicle after a crash can be very important. The images and photos you take can help show conclusively that you are not the one to blame for the collision.
Look up insurance coverage and swap information
Your phone can also help you exchange information with the other driver. You don’t need to try to write at a time when adrenaline might compromise your fine motor skills. Instead, you can just take a picture of their license and their insurance card. You can also potentially review what coverage each of you has.
Making use of the tools that you have on hand in the car crash, including your cellphone, will help you show what happened and better protect yourself from the expenses you may experience from a motor vehicle collision.