What to Do in the First Hour After an Accident, Through to the Estimate

Right after it happens

The first few minutes matter more than anything that comes after them. Check yourself and everyone else in the car for injuries before you worry about the vehicle. If the cars are drivable and it's safe to do so, move them out of traffic. If not, stay put and put your hazards on.

• Call the police if anyone is hurt, if the damage looks serious, or if the other driver won't exchange information
• Exchange names, phone numbers, insurance information and license plate numbers with the other driver
• Take photos of all vehicles involved, the damage, the road position and any relevant signage or signals
• Get contact information from anyone who saw it happen, if there's a witness nearby
• Write down what you remember while it's fresh, including the time and the direction each car was travelling

Calling your insurance company

Report the claim as soon as you reasonably can. Stick to what you actually know: what happened, where, and when. Don't guess at fault and don't tell them you're fine if you're not sure yet, an ache that shows up the next morning is common after a collision. If the adjuster offers a list of preferred shops, remember that's a suggestion, not something you're required to use.

Getting a real estimate, not just a number at the scene

An estimate isn't a guess written on the back of an envelope. It's a technician actually looking at the vehicle, panel by panel, and writing down what it will take to put it back together correctly. We give a free estimate for insurance claims, and it costs you nothing to have us look at the car even if you end up having the work done somewhere else.

What a thorough estimate actually checks

A quick look at a dented fender can miss what's behind it. Our ASE certified technicians write a damage report that checks systems some estimates skip over entirely, especially anything that isn't visible from outside the car.

• Unibody and frame alignment, not just the visible panels
• Suspension and steering, which a hard impact can affect even without obvious body damage
• Radiator and air conditioning lines, which run close to the areas most often hit
• Glass and window seals, which can crack or loosen without an obvious break
• Panel fit and paint match once repairs are proposed, not only after the work is done

Keep your own paper trail

Save every document as the claim moves along: the police report if one was filed, the claim number, the name of your adjuster, and a copy of the estimate. It's a lot easier to keep this together from the start than to try to reconstruct it later if a question comes up about what was agreed to.

If the damage looks worse than it is, or better

Cars are built to absorb an impact in ways that aren't always obvious from a glance in a parking lot. A bumper that looks fine can be pushed out of alignment behind the cover. A hood that looks badly creased can sometimes be a straightforward panel repair. That's exactly why an estimate from someone who actually puts the car on a lift matters more than eyeballing it at the scene.

What happens after the estimate is approved

Once the estimate is agreed with your insurance company, the repair itself begins. You'll get a car back that's been through the same process regardless of how the claim started: comprehensive collision repair, a written limited lifetime warranty on the workmanship for the original owner, and a complimentary wash and vacuum when it's done.

Bringing the car in

Past customers, especially ones going through their first accident, mention getting walked through the whole process rather than being handed a phone number and left to figure it out. That's deliberate. If you're standing in a parking lot right now with a dented fender and don't know what happens next, call us. That conversation costs nothing, and it's usually the part people say they needed most.