31 March, 2010

When you have an accident, it's probably one of the most stomach churning, sickening feelings that you get isn't it? It's just that moment when you hear and feel the crunch of the car. The best we can hope for is a scrape or minor bump, but as we all know, motor incidents can result in injury, property damage or worse.

We hope that we never have a motor incident or have the displeasure of having to deal with the consequences which can be both costly and time-consuming.  In a motor incident, our thinking is not always crystal clear and many of us are unsure about what we need to do afterwards.

If you've had a car incident or even if you've not had one, you'll want to know what the right things are to do, hopefully if, not when, it happens. At Cornish Mutual we're dedicated to getting our Members back on their feet as quickly as possible following a claim. To try and help with this process, we've put together some tips here:

• Gather information - Note down as much information about the incident as possible.  It's also a good idea to get as much information as you can about the third party, name, address, name of insurer and vehicle details including registration number.

• Take photographs - Many mobile telephones now enable you to take photographs and can therefore be used at the scene of an incident.  If you can, take photographs of the accident scene and the damage to the vehicles or any property.

• Don't discuss liability at the scene - Our first instinct can sometimes be to say sorry, even if it wasn't our fault.  Making an unwarranted admission of fault may prejudice the future handling of any third party claim so it is advisable not to enter into discussion at the scene of the incident.

• If urgent repairs are needed on your car - Make sure that the repairer keeps the damaged parts in case they need to be inspected at a later date.

• What if my car has been 'written off'? - As soon as you know your car's been declared a total loss (write-off) and is going to be scrapped or moved, make sure you remove all your personal belongings. This will help reduce any potential storage costs incurred and will safeguard your property.

Unpleasant as it might be, the reality is that, at some point, most of us will experience a motor incident. It's about being prepared and knowing what to do.