So, you managed to get into a fender bender. Now what do you do? The following is a checklist of things to keep in mind in the all-too unfortunate event that you become involved in a car accident:

1. If possible, pull your vehicle over to the side of the road so that you do not block traffic.
2. Check to see if you or any passengers with you were injured.
3. If the accident involves injury or damage, contact the local police immediately.
4. If the accident involved another driver, obtain information from the other driver to include: name, address, telephone number, insurance company, policy number and liability coverage.
5. Obtain information on the other vehicle involved in the accident including the following: make, model, year, color, state, licence plate number, time that accident occurred and date.
6. Obtain the police officer’s name (which should be on the report), badge number and city.
7. Take pictures of everything involving the car accident, as long as it can be done safely. Things to include in your pictures: driver of other vehicle, the vehicles involved, property damage, skid marks, location of accident (i.e. a street sign) etc.
8. If necessary, schedule an appointment with your doctor. Many injuries do not occur immediately after a car accident has taken place. Make sure that you use your better judgment on this one as many people defraud their insurance companies with false injuries.
9. Ask for a copy of the police report. Many police officers will write up the report while they are on scene depending on how busy their shift is. If they cannot write it up then given the circumstances, they will almost always give you a case number and instructions on where or how you can access a copy of your police report (which will be needed by your insurance company)