Having one of your children be involved in a car accident can be a traumatic experience, which can be made worse if you do not know the correct steps to take. In this article, we cover what to do after your child is involved in a car accident and provide information on how your child’s involvement in a car accident may affect your car insurance.
6 Things to Do After Your Child Gets in a Car Accident
Ensure Their Safety
Immediately after a car wreck, if your child calls you, ensuring their safety should be a top priority.
To ensure your child’s safety in a car accident, you should tell them to remain calm and check themselves and their passengers for any injuries they may have sustained.
In addition, inform your child that, if possible, they should move their vehicle to the side of the road away from oncoming traffic and turn on their vehicle’s hazard lights to avoid any more car accidents.
Ensure That 911 Is Called
If the car accident your child was in involves injuries, significant vehicle damage, or seems to be an unsafe situation, you must ensure that 911 is called onto the scene.
By calling 911, you can ensure that police will be on the scene assessing and securing the car accident scene and that a police report is made, which can be essential in insurance claim negotiations.
Make Sure Your Child Collects Essential Information
Walk your child through collecting the necessary information after a car accident. This information includes the names, addresses, contact numbers, vehicle plate numbers, and insurance information of all the parties involved in the car crash. Also, have them collect witnesses’ contact information and take pictures of the accident scene.
The information your child collects at the accident scene will be vital to navigating legal claims and obtaining the compensation you’re entitled to.
Have Your Child Seek Medical Attention
Even if your child tells you they feel fine, you must still take them to receive medical attention following a car accident.
Some injuries, such as whiplash, concussions, or internal bleeding, may not show immediate symptoms but could result in long-term complications if not promptly discovered and treated.
In addition, by seeking medical attention after a car accident, you’ll receive medical documentation that can be used by insurance companies when determining the worth of your personal injury claim.
Notify Your Insurance Company
After taking care of your child, it’s time that you notify your insurance company of the car accident.
Notifying your insurance company of the car accident should be done as soon as possible as many insurers have time limits for reporting accidents, and delaying could cause problems in your claim.
It’s important to understand that regardless of whether your child was at fault or not at fault for the car accident, your insurance premiums may still be affected.
Take Legal Action
If your child suffered injuries or damages in a car accident, you may need to contact an experienced personal injury attorney, such as Las Vegas Car Accident Lawyer Rodney Okano.
Contacting a personal injury attorney can give you the assistance you need to handle the insurance companies, learn your legal rights, determine fault, and pursue compensation for any medical bills, vehicle repairs, and other losses caused by the car wreck.
How Might Your Child Being in a Car Accident Affect Your Insurance Rates
After your child gets into a car accident, an immediate concern you may have is how your insurance rates will be affected as insurance companies increase premiums based on how high-risk a driver is considered to be.
What Is the Typical Insurance Premium Increase
Your insurance premiums may rise 20-40% after your child is involved in a car accident, especially if they’re considered to be at fault.
However, you can use accident forgiveness programs or a usage-based policy to mitigate a possible increase in insurance premiums.
