There are a lot of scary things that can happen when it comes to car accidents, such as injuries, fire, or even worse. In these cases, your car insurance and the other driver’s insurance usually have you covered. But what happens when you’re hit and the driver flees the scene?
If you haven’t heard of this before – a hit and run is when another driver hits your vehicle, and drives away without checking on you or giving you their information. Yikes! No one wants to think about that. But if it does happen, it’s important to know what to do to protect yourself. Check out our steps for what do in a hit and run, so you can have peace of mind if you’re ever in this situation.
Pull Over and Call Law Enforcement
Get to a safe place off the road to pull over. Make sure you and any passengers in your car aren’t injured and then call the police. They can assist you and you can tell them the details of what happened. DO NOT try to chase the person who hit you. You could end up putting yourself in an even more dangerous situation.
Record Details
Write down everything you know about the accident. Record the color and make of the vehicle, and the license plate number if you were able to catch it. Take note of your location and the time it happened. Also, be sure to take pictures of the damage.
Seek Out Any Witnesses
People who saw the accident can be very helpful in identifying what happened and who hit you. Try to get as much information as possible, especially the details about the vehicle that hit you. Be sure to ask them what they saw and take down their name and number if possible – you, the police or your insurance company may need to contact them later.
Ask for a Police Report
The responding officer can let you know how to obtain a copy of the police report following the incident. This could be extremely important in getting the details of the accident for your auto claim.
Contact your Insurance Company
Your insurance needs to know what happened immediately so you can file a claim. With MAPFRE Insurance, you can report a claim online.
It’s important to take the right steps to make sure you’re financially protected if you’re involved in a hit and run accident. MAPFRE knows the importance of getting the right coverage at an affordable price. Start your quote now to see if you could be saving on your MA car insurance, or contact an independent insurance agent near you.
