What to Do After a Car Accident: From the Crash to the Insurance Claim

Part 1: At the Accident Scene

1. Make Sure Everyone Is Safe

Safety comes first.

Check yourself and your passengers for injuries. If possible and appropriate, move the vehicles to a safe location away from traffic and turn on your hazard lights.

Call 911 when there are injuries, significant vehicle damage, roadway hazards, or other circumstances requiring emergency assistance.

Do not put yourself in danger trying to photograph vehicles or damage while traffic is moving around you.

2. Determine Whether the Vehicle Is Safe to Drive

Before leaving the scene, determine whether the vehicle can be safely driven.

A vehicle can have significant damage even when it still starts and moves. Damage involving the suspension, steering, wheels and tires, cooling system, lighting, airbags, structural components, or safety systems may make the vehicle unsafe to operate.

Watch for obvious warning signs such as:

• Fluid leaking from the vehicle
• A tire rubbing against damaged bodywork
• Bent or damaged wheels
• Steering that feels abnormal
• Warning lights
• Loose or hanging body panels
• Broken lighting
• Smoke, unusual smells, or unusual noises

If you are uncertain whether the vehicle is safe to drive, have it towed.

Keep any towing and storage documentation associated with the accident.

3. Exchange Information

Exchange information with the other driver or drivers involved.

Try to obtain:

• Driver’s name and contact information
• Driver’s license information
• Insurance company and policy information
• Vehicle year, make, model, and license plate
• Contact information for any witnesses

If law enforcement responds, obtain the agency name and report or incident number when available.

Avoid arguing about fault at the scene. Focus on documenting what happened and providing accurate information.

4. Take Photos and Document the Accident

Take more photographs than you think you will need.

Photograph:

• Your entire vehicle from multiple angles
• Close-ups of the damage
• The other vehicle or vehicles
• License plates
• Vehicle positions
• Debris or vehicle parts on the roadway
• Skid marks
• Traffic signs and signals
• Road and weather conditions
• Any damaged property

If it is safe to do so, take a few wider photographs showing the overall accident scene. These can provide context that close-up damage photographs cannot.

Your photographs may become important later if there is a disagreement about the extent of the damage, the vehicle’s condition, or the circumstances of the accident.

Part 2: The Insurance Claim and Repair Process

5. Report the Accident and Open the Insurance Claim

After the immediate situation is under control, report the accident to the appropriate insurance company.

Depending on the circumstances, your property damage claim may be handled through your own insurance policy or through the responsible driver’s insurance company.

When reporting the accident, provide accurate factual information about what occurred. You do not need to speculate about damage you cannot see, estimate the eventual repair cost, or determine what the vehicle is worth.

Keep your claim number and the contact information for the adjuster or representative handling the claim.

Whenever practical, keep important claim communications and documents in writing.



6. Get the Vehicle Inspected

The insurance company or repair facility will typically prepare an initial damage estimate.

The first estimate is not necessarily the final repair cost.

Modern vehicles can conceal damage behind bumpers, body panels, interior components, suspension assemblies, and structural areas. Additional damage is frequently discovered once the repair facility begins disassembly.

When additional accident-related damage is identified, the repair facility may submit a supplemental estimate to the insurance company.

Keep copies of the original estimate and every supplement.

7. Repair or Total Loss?

As the damage is evaluated, the insurance company will determine whether the vehicle will be repaired or declared a total loss.

This is where the claim can take one of two very different paths.

If the Vehicle Is Repairable

The vehicle moves through the repair process.

Choose a repair facility you are comfortable with and keep your documentation throughout the repairs.

As the vehicle is disassembled, additional damage may be discovered and supplements may increase the total repair cost.

When repairs are complete, obtain the final itemized repair invoice.

Keep:

• Original estimate
• Supplemental estimates
• Final repair invoice
• Alignment documentation, when applicable
• Structural measurements, when applicable
• Calibration documentation
• Repair photographs, when available

If the Vehicle Is Declared a Total Loss

The focus changes from determining the cost of repairs to determining what the vehicle was worth immediately before the accident.

The insurance company will typically prepare a valuation report establishing what it believes to be the vehicle’s Actual Cash Value (ACV).

Review the entire valuation rather than looking only at the settlement amount.

Verify:

• VIN
• Year, make, and model
• Trim level
• Mileage
• Drivetrain
• Factory equipment and options
• Vehicle condition
• Comparable vehicles
• Adjustments applied to those vehicles

Errors in the vehicle information or comparable vehicles can affect the resulting valuation.

Part 3: After the Repair or Total Loss Valuation

Once your vehicle has been repaired or the insurance company has presented its total loss valuation, the claim enters a different stage.

For a repaired vehicle, the question becomes whether the accident caused a permanent loss in market value.

For a total loss, the question is whether the insurance company’s valuation accurately reflects what the vehicle was worth immediately before the accident.

This is also the point where an independent vehicle appraiser may become useful.

8. Inspect the Completed Repairs

When you pick up your vehicle, take the time to inspect the completed repairs before considering the repair process finished.

Look for concerns involving:

• Panel gaps and alignment
• Paint color and finish
• Warning lights
• Steering or alignment
• Unusual noises
• Interior components
• Cameras and sensors
• Driver-assistance systems

If something does not appear or feel correct, bring it to the repair facility’s attention.

Make sure you also obtain the final itemized repair invoice. The final invoice is important because it reflects the complete scope of repairs, including supplements and additional damage that may not have appeared on the original estimate.

9. Determine Whether You May Have a Diminished Value Claim

A properly repaired vehicle can look, drive, and function as it did before the accident while still being worth less in the marketplace.

The reason is simple: the repairs do not erase the vehicle’s accident history.

When buyers are presented with two otherwise comparable vehicles — one with a clean history and another with a documented accident history — the damaged and repaired vehicle may command a lower market value.

That difference is commonly referred to as diminished value.

Whether a vehicle has a viable diminished value claim depends on factors such as:

• Vehicle age
• Mileage
• Pre-loss condition
• Prior accident history
• Type and severity of damage
• Extent of repairs
• Vehicle desirability and market
• State law and individual claim circumstances

Not every accident results in measurable diminished value, which is why the circumstances of the individual vehicle and loss should be evaluated.

10. When to Hire an Appraiser for Diminished Value

For most diminished value claims, the best time to hire an appraiser is after the vehicle has been repaired.

At that point, the appraiser can review the complete repair documentation rather than relying on an initial estimate that may not reflect everything ultimately repaired.

An independent appraisal may make sense when the vehicle has meaningful market value, relatively low or moderate mileage, little or no significant prior accident history, and an accident significant enough to affect how the vehicle is viewed in the marketplace.

A diminished value appraisal should answer a specific question:

What would this vehicle have been worth immediately before the accident compared with what it is worth now with its documented accident history?

A professional appraisal should support that conclusion with relevant market evidence rather than simply applying a generic formula or arbitrary percentage to the repair cost.

11. Review the Total Loss Valuation

If your vehicle was declared a total loss, you will not have a post-repair diminished value claim. Instead, your focus should be on the insurance company’s valuation of the vehicle.

Review the complete valuation report rather than looking only at the settlement amount.

Confirm that the report accurately identifies your:

• Year, make, and model
• Trim level
• Mileage
• Drivetrain
• Factory equipment and options
• Vehicle condition

Then look at the comparable vehicles used to establish the value.

Consider whether those vehicles are actually comparable to yours in year, trim, mileage, equipment, condition, and market.

Also review any adjustments or deductions made within the valuation.

The goal is to determine whether the valuation reasonably represents the Actual Cash Value of your specific vehicle immediately before the accident.

12. When to Hire an Appraiser for a Total Loss

You do not necessarily need an independent appraiser simply because your vehicle has been declared a total loss.

If the insurance company’s valuation accurately identifies your vehicle, uses reasonable comparable vehicles, and produces a value consistent with the market, there may be nothing for an appraiser to dispute.

An independent total loss appraisal becomes more useful when:

• The insurance company’s valuation appears materially below the market
• Important options or equipment are missing
• The vehicle’s trim or configuration is incorrect
• Mileage or condition information is inaccurate
• The comparable vehicles are not reasonably similar
• Questionable adjustments or deductions were applied
• You have attempted to resolve the valuation dispute but remain significantly apart

An independent appraiser can evaluate the vehicle and market evidence to develop a supported opinion of the vehicle’s pre-loss Actual Cash Value.

13. Consider the Appraisal Clause

If the total loss is being handled under your own insurance policy and you cannot reach an agreement with your insurance company regarding the value of the vehicle, review your policy for an appraisal clause.

An appraisal clause is a contractual method for resolving a disagreement over the amount of loss.

The specific process is controlled by the language of your policy, but it commonly allows you and the insurance company to each select an independent appraiser.

The two appraisers evaluate the loss and attempt to reach an agreement. If they cannot agree, an umpire may become involved as provided by the policy.

Appraisal is generally used to resolve a disagreement over value. It is not typically a process for deciding who caused the accident or whether the insurance policy provides coverage.

14. Keep a Complete Claim File

Whether your vehicle was repaired or declared a total loss, keep a complete copy of your claim documentation.

That may include:

• Accident photographs
• Police report
• Towing and storage documentation
• Insurance correspondence
• Original repair estimate
• Supplemental estimates
• Final repair invoice
• Rental documentation
• Total loss valuation report
• Settlement documentation
• Diminished value appraisal
• Appraisal clause correspondence

Keeping everything together makes it much easier to address questions, support a diminished value claim, review a total loss valuation, or resolve a dispute later.

Need Help Determining What Your Vehicle Is Worth?

Premier Vehicle Valuation Specialists provides independent vehicle valuation services for diminished value and total loss claims nationwide.

We provide diminished value appraisals, total loss valuations, appraisal clause representation, and umpire services.

Before recommending an appraisal, we review the available claim information to determine whether an appraisal is likely to add value. If the available information does not support pursuing an appraisal, we’ll tell you.

This article provides general information regarding vehicle property damage claims and is not legal advice. Insurance requirements, claim procedures, and available remedies vary by state, policy, and individual circumstances.