If you are involved in a car or road accident, the information you exchange at the scene could impact your ability to make an insurance claim or even an injury compensation claim.
It's good to be prepared and seek to exchange key information with other parties to ensure a smooth process after the accident.
When possible, exchange the following details with any other drivers involved in the accident and any passengers injured in the accident.
You should also gather useful information to make the insurance claim process easier for all parties. This information can include:
Check and screenshot your location using the maps app on your phone. The example below shows how to save location and get pinpoint longitude / latitude numbers for your location in Google Maps.
If you forgot to do this but took photos at the scene, the info sections of your smartphone photos shown have time and location stamp (if location services turned on).
Dave was parked in a Gold Coast shopping centre. After he started reversing to pull out, the car in the opposite row started to do the same. Dave braked and honked his horn but the other car failed to react and crashed into his car. The driver of the other vehicle got out and the following happened at the scene.
Following the accident, Dave attempted to lodge an insurance claim through his comprehensive insurance and ran into problems.
The claim was settled in the end with the insurer but would have been much easier if more information had been gathered at the time. If you are unsure of whether you have the right to claim after being involved in a car accident, contact Smith's Lawyers and get risk-free expert legal advice.
It’s important to get advice for your specific situation. Check if you can make a risk-free compensation claim and get free initial advice from our Principal lawyer, Greg Smith.