Crashed: The Legalities Involved in an Automobile Accident

Running a fleet, there are unwanted things that could happen.  One of them is accident. What should you do when one of your business vehicles is involved in an automobile accident?

Being in a car crash can be a frightening and disorienting experience. Since it can be quite overwhelming, many people – including you and your fleet drivers – forget that there are certain laws in place after an automobile crash.

Company van involved in a car accident

To make sure that you follow the rules in place and that you are properly compensated for any damages, you should be aware of what is required of you. Here, you will find everything that you need to know about such a situation:

Should You Call the Police?

The first question that races through anyone’s mind is whether or not they should reach out to the authorities. Well, this depends entirely on your current situation and location.

Depending on where you live, the police should only be called to the scene if negligence was involved, someone was hurt, or if the total damage is over a certain amount. For instance, if you were in a car accident in Scarborough, you should only call the authorities if the accumulated damage of the vehicles is over $2000. If this isn’t the case, and nobody is at fault or hurt, then you should head to the nearest Collision Reporting Centre. They will handle the more moderate cases.

The Law and Injuries

One of the first things that you will need to do is to see if you or anyone in the vehicle with you is hurt. Make sure that everyone is feeling fine and that there are no visible cuts, bruises, or injuries. If you do find that someone has been hurt, you need to call emergency medical services immediately. You should do this if you find that anyone in the other party is hurt as well.

Now, there is a good chance that your insurance company will not cover certain costs for your wounds. This is why you would need to call a lawyer.  Using the example above you should contact one of the Scarborough personal injury lawyers. They would be able to make sure that you are compensated properly.

Car repair form

What About Insurance?

It doesn’t matter how minor the collision was, you still need to inform your insurance company about it. Failure to do so could cause you a great deal of trouble – for instance, your coverage could be revoked. So, it is always important to tell your company about the damages right away, even if they are minimal.

It is important to remember that even if you don’t, the other party may tell their insurance company who will, in turn, inform your company as part of the procedure.

Protecting Yourself from Legal Fallout

One of the first things that you need to do is to get the license plate of the other vehicle. If possible, you should take pictures of the vehicles before you move them, either for the police or for insurance purposes. After this, you can get the driver’s name, license details, and insurance information. You will be expected to provide the same.

Here’s the catch: You should limit interaction with the other driver and should not, under any circumstances, provide a statement, apologise, or say anything incriminating. Your words can be used against you later on.

Conclusion

So, there you go: The above is what you need to keep in mind about the legal aspect of an automobile accident. Of course, the best thing you can do is minimising the risk of such accident.  Drive safely.