By definition, the idea of being prepared for an accident is an oxymoron. But you can take some steps that will help make it easier to deal with the aftermath.
Anyone who spends much time in a car is at risk for being in a vehicle accident, especially if you’re between ages 15 and 24 or over age 65. Emergency department staff nationally treated more than 2.3 million drivers and passengers injured in motor vehicle accidents in 2009.
If you’re involved in an accident, your first responsibility is to your own security. That means moving yourself and any passengers to a safe place that’s still nearby. Never leave the scene of an accident.
The next step is to call the police. If nobody’s injured, the police may suggest exchanging information with the other driver and contacting your insurance company.
Taking photographs of the accident scene can help your insurance company assess the damage. Use your cellphone camera to show the positions of the vehicles and close-up details of the damage.
When you meet with the other driver to exchange information, avoid allowing the other driver to photograph your drivers’ license. While it may seem efficient and fast, it isn’t legally required, and it may leave you vulnerable to identity theft, especially if the wreck proves to be staged.
Colorado law requires anyone involved in a motor vehicle accident to report it immediately. But the drivers involved in an accident don’t have to exchange more than their names, phone numbers and auto insurance information.
A free app, WreckCheck, allows drivers to exchange information without worrying about possible identity theft.
If anyone is injured, you must call 911 for medical and police support. Medical crews will need to know how to contact friends or family members, and they will want to know about any medications and pre-existing medical conditions.
“Having a list of someone’s medication is helpful, especially if the patient is on a lot of medications,” said physician Chris McStay, of the University of Colorado Hospital emergency department. “Some medications are especially important, particularly blood thinners and diabetic medications.”
Most of the time, McStay said, accident victims are alert enough to answer a first responder’s questions. If they’re not, wearing a medical information bracelet is helpful.
So is keeping a card (in your wallet or glove box) that includes a health-care provider’s name and contact information, and an emergency family contact number.
“Let’s say you arrived in the emergency room with a head injury, and you weren’t able to tell us much about yourself,” said Mark Prather, a physician with True North Health Navigation in Englewood.
“If the traumatic injury is significant, medical decisions need to be made quickly. Having some basic information can greatly aid your doctors. You could consider storing your information on your phone in an electronic personal health-record app, like iTriage.”
If your health-care provider is part of the Colorado Regional Health Information Exchange, emergency department staff may be able to retrieve your electronic health records from your doctor.
“But accessing that information can take time, and carrying your health information on your person can quickly give your (emergency) doctor valuable information,” Prather said.
“That information should include basic demographic information: your name and birth date, to allow doctors to look up old medical records; medications and any significant allergies; and any significant medical problems, diabetes, coronary artery disease, bleeding problems and significant surgeries.”
It’s also important to notify your insurance agent as soon as possible. Get a copy of the accident report and the police report, if there is one. Write notes, including the name, phone number and insurance company of the other driver or drivers, along with the details of the accident.
Offer the insurance claims adjuster a copy of the notes, and keep a copy for yourself to show at the auto repair shop. Some damage may not be immediately visible, and your notes could be helpful to a mechanic.
Claire Martin: 303-954-1477, cmartin@denverpost.com or twitter.com/byclairemartin
Accident checklist
WHAT TO DO
1. Move to a safe location, out of moving traffic but still at the scene of the accident. If you can’t move your car, turn on its warning lights and open the hood.
2. Call police if the accident involves damage, injury or death.
3. Obtain information about other drivers involved in the accident: Name, address, driver’s license number, insurance policy issuer and policy number, make, model, year, color and license plate of car involved; names of any passengers in those cars
4. Obtain information from any witnesses: name, address, mobile and work phones, e-mail address, insurance company name and policy number, coverage limits
5. Record responding law-enforcement officials’ names, badge numbers and city or county.
6. Fill out an accident information report with the date, time of accident, location and number of cars involved.
7. Take photographs of everything related to the accident scene, without obstructing traffic or endangering yourself. Include: each car’s driver; each automobile in the accident, showing damage; skid marks on the street; any other property damage.
8. Draw a diagram of the accident, showing the closest intersection and positions of the vehicles involved in the accident.
9. Request a tow, if necessary, from the accident site, after the police leave.
10. Schedule an appointment with your physician. (Many people involved in an accident don’t realize they’ve been injured until hours afterward.)
WHAT NOT TO DO
1. Discuss who is at fault with any other party involved in the accident
2. Reveal more than the name of your insurance agency and your policy number
Keep in your glove box
1 Printout of an accident report f orm to facilitate documenting the particulars (find one at gsa.gov/graphics/fas/SF91.pdf)
2 Card with the names of your health-insurance provider, policy number, primary-care physician, current medications (especially blood thinners and anti-seizure drugs) and medical conditions (diabetes, hypertension, etc.)
3 Contact information (mobile phone and e-mail) for a family member or friend if you are injured.
