I just got in a car accident!
If Medical help is what you are in need of, this next button might be a better idea right now
We realize you aren't likely coming to this page the moment you get in a car accident so, we are going to use this page to show how we personally would handle a car accident. Obviously we are car people accustomed to dealing with broken cars so our priorities focus on the best way to deal with broken cars in a car accident. We realize if we were doctors or cops or tow companies or your mother we would write about how you should handle a car accident differently, but since we are car people the opinions shared here will be based on how to best deal with your car.
So lets paint a picture of a car accident shall we?
You are driving along, minding your merry business, when all of the sudden you find yourself stopped after having collided with something in your car. You are likely feeling a number of things right now. You may not know what happened. Your heart might be pounding a little harder than usual. You may have a stinky airbag between you and your steering wheel. You may have lost the phone you may or may not have had in your hand. You may hurt somewhere. You may have other individuals in your car you need to check on. You might be shaking a little bit.
You stumble out of your car to go meet the other guy. He seems alright but is also a bit shaken up. You decide which of you must be at fault and know that you are supposed to call the cops and report an accident so you do that. You exchange some info and then wait....... and wait....... and wait...... first the ambulance shows up and assesses that you are both alright. Then the Tow truck arrives but cant do anything until the cops arrive. Cars are all around you trying to figure out how to get around the two of your vehicles in the middle of the road. The police arrive and begin organizing things. They take a few photos and ask some questions. They allow the tow truck to start his job of towing the two vehicles away. Since you called your family earlier, they are there to pick you up and take you home. The cops spend some time writing things down and getting a good police report written about the incident.
You get home. Safe and sound. You did miss work today though... better call the boss lady and tell her why you didn't make it in. And better call dad. He'll want to hear how things went. While you are talking to dad he asks if you still plan to come to his place tomorrow for a BBQ. That gets you thinking..... "Where is my car?." And you realize, you have no idea where it is. You didnt even get any photos of what it looks like. Is it junk? Can it still drive? How on earth am I going to get it fixed?
Now begins the repair process.... Find the car. Get it towed to a shop. Wait for the shop to look at it. Wait for the insurance company to look at it. Wait for the parts to be ordered. Wait for the shop to get it fixed. Wait for the Insurance company to pay for it. Finally get your car back and return to life as you remember it being and dad's BBQ.
Each part of this story is normal and happens all the time. We hear story after story of car accidents here at Roy's and this seems pretty typical. I want to point a couple things out in this story. First: Each person involved has their own priorities concerning your car accident.
The Ambulance guy wants to make sure your medical needs are taken care of.
The tow truck driver wants to make sure your car gets on his truck
The police officer wants to make sure the road is cleared off and fault is decided
The other driver may also be interested in who is at fault
The insurance company you called wants to make sure you didn't admit to fault
Your mom wants to make sure you received the right number of hugs
Your random friend from high school who saw the accident still wants your number
And you..... What are your priorities?
And the second thing I want to point out is the waiting..... At the end of this story between the time you realized you couldn't drive your car to your dad's BBQ and the time you could again drive your car to one of your dad's BBQs. That waiting can be a long time.... (like weeks or months)
So since I am writing from the perspective of the body shop who hopes to fix your car, let me tell you my priorities; just to be perfectly transparent. I, like your mom or the nice police officer view things from my own responsibility and view of what is most important to me. I have learned over the years that when you are without your car, you aren't happy and my job is to get your car back to you ready to drive as quickly as possible and you never want to revisit a body shop again :(
I get it. SO here are My Priorities:
The Roy's Body Shop guy wants to fix your car and get it back to you as quickly as possible and never have our work fail, creating a warranty situation. And we do actually want to see you again even if you don't want to see us haha... so we want you to like us when you get your car back. And if you happen to have lots of accident-prone family we REALLY want you to like us :)
Now that you know what kind of bias we body shop guys have, here are some things we think you should do if you want the car repair part to go as quick as possible.
- Have a body shop in mind (we suggest us :) 
605-348-2333
- If you can determine fault without a police report, that speeds things up. If you and the other driver cant figure it out though... you for sure need an officer to get someone to be at fault. Remember, insurance companies do not want to take fault, so it is essential that you know which of your insurance companies are holding the bag.
- get the car off the road! in most small accidents, both cars are able to drive or be pushed off the road and into a nearby parking lot. There you can discuss things without being in the way of traffic. take your time. Get to know each other and your situations. Maybe you can find a way to get this taken care of in a way that is best for both parties. A little mercy in this world could go a long way toward helping us love and trust other humans. If you crash anywhere near Roy's EVER. Give us a call and ask for muscle pushing the car off the road or something. We are happy to send a bunch of guys over and clean up the mess in a hurry.
- If the car needs towed, tell them to tow it directly to Roy's. If you don't, it'll go to a storage lot where you have a hard time getting to it and it'll begin accruing storage fees. Your car will need to be assessed by a body shop and the place to do that is at a body shop! Bring it on over and we will take care of the rest from there.
- as long as you did the previous steps and your car is now at Roy's, We will take care of everything else. Anything we cant do directly, we will call you and walk you through it.
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