Pointers on What To Do When You Got Involved In A Traffic Accident

[Eypeeyu]

Hi, I'm a newbie owner of a brand new car. And though I've been driving cars for a couple of years now, thank God I've never been involved in a traffic accident (hope I'd never be).

Please advise on the step by step/pointers on what to do when you get involved in one.

TIA!!!

[1D4LV]

imho, when you get involved with one, you need to:

a) take a picture of the scene, and the damages.
b) get a cop to create the police report and possibly put it in a blotter. get a copy of the police report.
c) exchange contact information/driver's license. this will be beneficial and required depending on the settlement that you agreed on.

[Eypeeyu]

imho, when you get involved with one, you need to:

...c) exchange contact information/driver's license. this will be beneficial and required depending on the settlement that you agreed on.

Thanks for the preliminaries .
But what different settlements can we possibly agree on?

[woohoo]

Thanks for the preliminaries .
But what different settlements can we possibly agree on?

SINO ang gagastos, at sino ang mag-aasikaso sa paglakad ng paper works, etc.? Insurance mo, insurance niya, ikaw, o siya?

[Bogeyman]

Assuming that both parties have insurance, ideally dapat mag-coordinate na lang yung respective insurers nila for the claims. That's what they're being paid for.

Nung ako yung nakabangga ng kotse two years ago, the other party didn't have insurance, so my insurer took care of the repair costs for both of our vehicles, despite the fact that we didn't have a police report.

Nung ako naman yung binangga just last month, the other party also didn't have insurance (TPL lang, jeepney kasi). Again, my insurer shouldered the repair cost to my ride, with a slight depreciation for brand-new parts. This time I made sure na may police report na, so may hahabulin na ang insurance for the expenses they incurred.

[mbeige]

I think one of the immediate things you should do first is check if everybody is safe and unharmed. If you get rear ended badly, there's a good chance you got whiplash, and if not treated properly, will haunt you for years with neck and back pain that can sometimes refer to the shoulders and surrounding areas.

I'm talking about real accidents, not fender-benders

[JagXtrm]

my suggestion (and talking from experience)

1. take pics of the incident and the vehicles still on the scene, yung hindi pa nagalaw. don't forget to take pics of the plate number of the other party (so that you can check it on LTO online if their vehicle is unregistered or not)
2. give a photocopy of drivers license and get a photocopy of the DL of the other party (also you can check if it is expired)
3. photocopy of insurance -- you give yours, you get the other parties' ... para hindi na mahirapan insurance company mo maghanap kung ano insurance policy ng other party.
4. contact numbers of the other party, and if possible, celfone of the police investigator who created the police report (you'll might need this in the future)
5. original police report (or a certified true copy would suffice) - requirement for insurance claim
6. if the other party is hospitalized, keep all official receipts (hospital, medical bills, etc) that is related/named to the other party. you can reimburse it at your insurance (covered in comprehensive - bodily injury)
7. have an estimate of the other party's vehicle damage. they might give a bloated estimate to your insurance company (compre - property damage)
8. if the other party doesn't cooperate accordingly, try to settle with them (give danyos) and have them immediately sign an affidavit of desistance (para wala na silang habol sa iyo)
9. if you still have problems with the other party, it would be better to get an "adjuster" (usually your insurance company assigns one if you would request for it) to act as a liaison officer between you and the other party

hope this helps!

[jang]

Kelangan ba talaga police report, di pwede affidavit nalang?

[[archie]]

^^ it depends on the insurance company requirement... yung iba police report ang kailangan then for other affidavit lang ok na... also kung ikaw nakabanga, statement from the other party. that is kung comprehensive insurance.

[Eypeeyu]

To 1D4LV, woohoo, Bogeyman, mbeige, JagXtrm.... thank you very much for sharing information and your experiences!

[ferdine]

This is the first thing you do when you are involved in a road traffic incident on which both parties cannot agree who will be responsible for the damages.

Don't move your motor vehicle wether it is your infraction or not.

And wait for the traffic authorities to come.

[ForceOfWill]

mas mahirap ata ayusin pag PUV ang nakabangaan mo.. =/

lalo na pag ikaw ung binanga omg T___T

[4wrider]

Depende kung saan nangyari ang aksidente, kung sino ang nakabangga mo at kung may nasaktan o wala. If the accident is away from your home city, say in the province which is the hometown of the other party and he or his passenger was injured then there is a big chance that he will use his connection to make the most of the situation. Corrupt police might even persuade him to mulch some money from you by detaining you (worst time is Friday night, you might have to spend time in detention till Monday). Some police investigator might even insinuate that you're drunk or under the influence of drugs just to scare you into doing exactly what they want (sana pera lang, I know somebody who was beaten black and blue by blood thirsty cops).

Also, make sure that you secure all your valuables and that you don't give the impression that you have mucho dinero.

I also know somebody whose BMW was hit by a tricycle apparently intentionally and the police tried to put the blame on her driver. It took her sometime to recover the car.

As to the police report make sure that it is fair. And if it put the blame on you, don't sign it. The report should be as neutrally factual as can be and if there's no admission of guilt by any party then that is what it should show even though the other party alleges fault to you.

And if it's your fault, exercise the fifth (if you're in America) or your right to remain silent and to an attorney of your choice especially kung medyo madugo yung accident.

Lastly, pray for God's help in any case.

[fireblade]

Check if the other driver is a hottie. If she is, move away your cars and park near a coffee shop to exchange pleasantries

[Bogeyman]

mas mahirap ata ayusin pag PUV ang nakabangaan mo.. =/

lalo na pag ikaw ung binanga omg T___T

Sinabi mo. Yung nakabangga sa akin na jeepney driver, maayos kausap sa una. Panay hingi ng pasensya since nawalan siya ng preno. I-text ko lang daw sa kanya yung cost tapos punta daw siya sa bahay namin para pag-usapan.

Ti-next ko nga sa kanya yung quotation, tapos hindi na ako binalikan. Oh well, at least may police report. Yung insurer ko na lang ang bahalang mangulit sa operator niya. May porsiyento daw akong makukuha eh. :D Medyo kainis lang, kung hindi ako binangga in the first place, I wouldn't be short on cash right now; the money I spent as participation fee could've been used to repair my laptop instead.

[s_quilicot]

observe first before stepping out of the car ..