Car accidents can be terrifying. If you’ve experienced one you understand the plethora of emotions one goes through during and after. At the very least you’ll be stressed and inconvenienced, and depending on the severity of the accident you could be injured, shaken, or traumatized.
Assuming everybody is okay and no one on-site needs emergency medical attention, you should begin to think about what needs to be done about your car, your insurance, and the other driver.
If you get into a car accident in Missouri, this guide can help you get some of the necessary, preliminary steps taken care of at the scene. The most important step, after making sure every person involved is safe and healthy, is to collect the information you need to be protected against insurance disputes.
If the accident is bad enough to file a police report, call the police immediately and report the crash. If the police instruct you to move your vehicles immediately, follow their instructions and get out of harm’s way.
Get out your phone and document all of the details of the accident. Write down as many details as you can remember right off the bat to avoid forgetting or misremembering them later on. Explain what, when, and where it happened, as well as anything else you can recall.
Take pictures of all the damage with your phone, on your car as well as on the other parties’ cars. Make sure the damage is visible and clear.
Take pictures of the street and the location of where the accident occurred.
Take pictures of the other parties’ license plates, license, registration, and insurance information.
Make sure you have all of the information of all the parties involved, including cell phone numbers and insurance information.
Cooperate with the police and file a police report if you choose to do so. Wait to leave until they say it is appropriate to do so.
If your car needs to be towed off the scene, get the information about where it is going and when you can retrieve it.
If you know you want to have Galen’s Auto Body repair your vehicle, tell the towing driver to drop it off at our lot, follow them, and fill out any paperwork they need. We have a dropbox and envelopes for you to fill out and place your keys into. Simply drop them in our dropbox with your contact information and we will call you back ASAP to get things started!
Once you are safely away from the scene of the accident and any pressing injuries have been taken care of, you need to contact your insurance company to file a claim. Most insurance companies require you to report the incident to them and file a claim “promptly” or “within a reasonable amount of time.”
Regardless of whether or not the accident was your fault, you need to contact your insurance company as soon as possible. This will help maximize your chances of getting an insurance company to accept your claim and protect you the most after an accident.
Chances are the insurer will request an estimate of the damage and the cost for repairs. This is where Galen’s Auto Body comes in. You DO NOT have to go with the body shop the insurance company suggests. In fact, it’s often better for you as the customer if you take your vehicle to a body shop you know and trust will get you back on the road safely.
Galen’s is that body shop. Not only will we advocate on your behalf to the insurance company for use of the absolute best parts—no aftermarket or used parts are acceptable to us—our certified technicians use the latest collision repair technology to restore your vehicle to its pre-accident state. Our auto body shop meets the highest standards in the industry. We can make crunched fenders, broken windshields, paint scratches, bent frames, and dented doors look like they never happened. We take pride in creating a customer-friendly environment that makes your auto body repair process as easy as possible.
If there is one thing we know (other than repairing cars) it’s that your mode of transportation is essential.
Our philosophy is simple: we serve people, not cars.
We know the stress that comes with wrecking a vehicle, and that is why we approach every situation with you in mind.
910 Dinwiddie Cir
Columbia, MO 65202
Mon – Fri: 8am – 5pm
Sat – Sun: Closed
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