Guest Post: Dealing with a Car Accident in College
Thursday, January 28, 2010 by Kelly Sutton 
Ouch. Photo by flickr user Adria Richards and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0">CC BY-SA 2.0.
Today's guest post comes from Shep McAllister, a sophomore at Trinity University double majoring in communications and political science. He shares some advice about dealing with car accidents in school.
Having a car in college is awesome. You can escape campus whenever you want, members of the opposite sex flock to you for rides, and it helps establish a sense of independence and adulthood. It isn’t until you’re involved in your first car accident that you realize that being an adult can kinda suck, especially if you don’t know what you’re supposed to do.
I was recently rear-ended for the first time, and found myself clueless about what to do. I remembered that in the movies, the parties involved in the wreck exchange “information,” and then go on their merry way. Beyond this step I was pretty much lost, and while I was lucky enough to get my mom on the phone and a helpful officer on the scene, I realized that I needed to be better prepared if this were to ever happen again. So here’s a step-by-step guide I have put together, and am going to keep in my glove box from now on.
- Stay calm and check for injuries. If you are hurt, stay where you are, and call 911 if possible. Odds are, even a minor injury will draw up enough sympathy from your parents that they’ll do most of the legwork with insurance and the police for you. However, if you are uninjured and your car is operational, try to get out off the road and out of traffic as soon as possible.
- If anybody involved is injured, or if damage is more than superficial, call the police. An officer can mediate a heated situation, determine who is at fault, and issue a ticket, which is really great as long as he’s not giving it to you. If you don’t involve law enforcement, be sure to file an accident report at your local police station. Some DMV websites even offer the form online (score!).
- NEVER admit fault. Your judgment is likely clouded, so let the police or insurance companies make that decision.
- Now you can go through the ritual of exchanging information. Copy down everything on the other driver’s license and proof of insurance, and allow him to do the same. If you have a camera or phone with you, take pictures of these documents as well so you have it backed up (if I ever want to remember anything, I put it in digital form as soon as humanly possible). There’s no such thing as too much information here. Most importantly, know where you keep your insurance information, and keep it updated. If you inherited the car from your parents, make sure you know where everything is.
- Take pictures of the accident. This is doubly important if an officer doesn’t make a police report. If you don’t have a decent camera phone, you should consider keeping a disposable film camera tucked away in your glove box. Get close-ups of the damage, but also zoom out too to get some context. Your photos should include road signs and indicators of how the accident occurred. Insurance companies can use these to determine who is at fault if the police don’t intervene. If possible, draw a diagram of the accident while it is fresh in your mind, and get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses who could corroborate your story.
- After the accident, the first thing you’ll realize is that the fully-automated, wireless, digital world you live in ceases to exist. You will need to physically present yourself at the police station during regular business hours (not college hours) to obtain, and often pay a nominal fee for, the police report. No, they will not email it to you as a PDF. Yes, it is inconvenient. Welcome to life. I pointed out that this was bad for the environment, and got a lovely blank stare and some forms to fill out. Once you have the report, you will need to file a claim with the insurance company of whoever is at fault. If there is an insurance company that lets you do this with a simple Formspring submission, please let me know. In all likelihood you will be on the phone for a very long time, after which you may need to use a fax machine to send them the information they need. Yes…a fax machine. After this traumatic experience the insurance company will usually guide you through the process of going to a body shop, getting an estimate, and repairing your vehicle. Just remember: don’t settle for anything less than replacement parts from your vehicle’s manufacturer. You may need to do a little complaining (again, on the phone), but it’s worth the effort.
Independence has its dark sides. Hopefully your carefree college days are never interrupted by an accident, but it is important to know how to handle yourself if the situation arises.
What do you think? Have you ever been in a wreck at school?
Reader Comments (9)
This would have been quite helpful when I had my accident about 13 months ago, but thankfully it was all pretty easy to get everything done since it was pretty clearly the other guy's fault and I was able to take care over the phone with almost no frustration. The officers were very helpful and everything did not take all that long.
I don't go into detail in the post, but the guy at fault lied about having insurance, which has made things a bit more complicated in the aftermath.
Hey the 'formspring' link is broken, you should probably double check before posting
OP sounds a bit sheltered suggesting mommy and daddy doing "legwork."
So, you decided to write this article because you felt you could help someone who finds themself in the same bad situation you did? Don't you realize that although you give some pertinent information most of this piece reads like a self-important brochure for a college student with a silver spoon up his ass?
If you're trying to be funny, that's another story, but I don't think you are. I think you really believe some of the condescending stuff you spewed out here.
You're hypocritical when you use phrases like "it helps establish a sense of independence and adulthood" and then turn around and say "even a minor injury will draw up enough sympathy from your parents that they’ll do most of the legwork with insurance and the police for you."
Uh, grow up and be a man. It's a fender bender not the freaking Hindenburg disaster.
Other things that irked me about his article:
1. You lie: "Members of the opposite sex flock to you for rides." Ha, sure.
2. You called your mom. Really? Did she breastfeed you right there on the spot or wait until you both got home?
3. You used the word "inherited" as if everyone inherits something from their parents. No one uses that word except rich kids. They're called hand-me-down cars, dummy.
4. You say "decent camera phone" as if anyone who doesn't have a decent camera phone might as well have died in the accident. I mean, who doesn't have a decent camera phone these days, right? Especially when mommy and daddy are flipping the bill.
5. You dump on fax machines. Uh, thousands of businesses still use them moron. We're not talking about beepers here.
6. "Independence has it's dark sides?" Yeah, especially if you still have your mommy wiping your ass for you when you do a doodie.
7. If you really need to write down what to do when you get into a car accident, maybe you shouldn't be wasting your mommy and daddy's money on a Trinity University education when your brain is working more on the level of University of Phoenix. Think about a transfer. Then you don't actually have to "physically present yourself" in class since we live in a "fully-automated, wireless, digital world."
8. You have a helluva lot of comma splices, dude.
I hope you're not studying to be a journalist. This is what publications would call a puff piece - something tossed in the middle of a "10 Best Make-Up Tips" article and the weekly Horoscope.
Hey 420Dood and Collegeguy, thanks for the feedback. I was actually trying to insert some humor into the article, and having read through it again I agree that I can come off as a bit sheltered. If you dealt with your first car accident without anyone's help, then I applaud you. The fact is however, most people in this situation will want to consult someone who has been there before, and a parent is just one convenient example I used. You only get one chance to confront everyone involved in the accident, and many will want someone they trust on the phone to take them through a checklist of what to do. I don't believe that there is any shame in seeking some guidance and help when life throws you into new territory for the first time. I should also point out that I was not injured in the crash, and my parents did not do "most of the legwork." I was simply pointing out that many parents, whether they sheltered their children or not, would certainly help their injured son or daughter find a body shop, or deal with insurance companies. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, I appreciate having the opportunity to read and respond to it.
Sorry, meant 420Dood and YouAreAHack.
I wrecked my car in college listening to REO speedwagon and hit a campus cop car- it was not a good day for me. Now they are texting while driving and riding motorcycles!
thanks for this post i always scared whenever i heard about car accidents.
I want to do some project about how to avoid road accident so any suggestions about road accidents
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