One of the most frustrating experiences you can have as a driver is being involved in an accident and then getting towed. Accidents happen, and when they do, you have to be prepared so that it doesn’t add to your problems. Sometimes it might be as a result of a mistake you made while driving, or it could be due to negligence on the part of another party. Either way, no one plans to get their car involved in an accident.
When your car gets towed after an accident, you might lose money in terms of repairs, or worse, you could end up with a totaled car that is only fit for the junkyard. However, you must not worry, here are steps you should take if your car gets towed after an accident:
Photograph The Accident Scene and Your Car
When it comes to documenting the accident and your car, you need to be prepared. You might think that taking pictures will take up time, but this is one of the most important things you must do after getting involved in an accident. This will protect both parties involved. Take plenty of pictures from different angles around your vehicle before anything else is done.
The front, the back, the underneath, and the inside all need to be photographed. If you have an accident partner, make sure they are taking pictures too. Take down the name of any witnesses that saw what happened. You will also need to get contact information from them in case any issues come up later when it comes to settling insurance claims.
Hire an Attorney
If you do not have an attorney already, it is a good idea to hire one before dealing with the aftermath of your car after an accident. If this happens to you, chances are that you are going to be swamped with trying to deal with insurance claims and police reports.
Having an attorney on your side will make all of this a lot easier and will make sure that you end up with exactly what is deserved from the incident. Talking to an attorney before things escalate will save you a lot of trouble in the future and ensure that no one tries to take advantage of you.
Gather Insurance Information and Statements of Witnesses
Make sure you get contact information from everyone involved in the accident. You will need this later on when it comes to filing claims with your insurance company and for police reports. This includes the other driver, passengers of the car if any were hurt, anyone who witnessed what happened on the road, and even people living nearby that might be able to give out information about the accident.
In addition to this, be sure to ask any witnesses what they saw happen on the road. This will help you write a statement that outlines the events of the accident. Make sure that you get both parties involved in signing these statements to avoid any discrepancies when it comes time for insurance claims and police reports.
Get Contact Information For the Tow Company
When you get towed after an accident, chances are the tow company will be one of the last things you think about. According to a company that offers towing in Dallas, TX, this is something that must be done as soon as possible so that you can properly settle your car being towed. If the tow truck drivers do not already have contact information for your insurance company and your mechanic to take your car, they should be more than willing to get you. If they are not, this is something that you can file a complaint about later on.
When the tow truck drivers arrive at the accident scene be sure to ask for their contact information including the name, company name, phone number, and license plate of the truck so that you can get in touch with them later on. After the accident, you should ask for this information from all people involved in your car being towed. If you are not able to get this information now, it will be much harder to contact them later on when dealing with insurance claims or police reports.
Remove Anything of Importance From the Vehicle
You should make sure to remove anything of importance from your car if it gets towed after an accident. This includes things like refrigerated food items and prescription medications. Make sure that you take these with you or bring them inside if it is safe to do so. If there are any important documents such as IDs, insurance cards, important phone numbers, or anything of the sort, make sure to take those as well.
It is important that you do not wait for any tow truck drivers to come and remove these things before doing it yourself. You do not want to lose anything that you need to get in contact with the insurance company if your car gets towed after an accident.
If Possible, Tell the Tow Driver Where To Take Your Car
This is something that you should ask for if it is possible to do so. If your car gets towed after an accident, chances are the tow truck drivers will take your vehicle to a local impound lot or garage, where they resort cars after getting involved in accidents. However, while some of these places may be good and reliable, there could be some questions about the quality of their work and whether or not they actually properly repair cars.
If this is a question, you should make sure to tell the tow company where exactly it is that they drop your car off so that you can take it to a mechanic yourself. The issues with these places mainly come with insurance claims. You do not want to find out later on that your car was not thoroughly inspected at the place where it got towed from an accident because you allowed them to take it without telling them where exactly you wanted it to go. This could cause problems when you try and settle insurance claims with the other party involved in the accident for what they are responsible for during a settlement.
All of this information is crucial when getting your car towed after an accident. Make sure that you take all the necessary steps when trying to find out what to do next.
