2 WAYS YOUR MOBILE PHONE PROTECTS YOU RIGHT AFTER A WRECK

Sometimes, mobile phones are among the collateral damage of a car wreck. The device may have slammed into the windshield or gotten smashed under your foot during the moments right after the wreck.

However, if your phone is still in operating condition, it will be one of the most powerful tools at your disposal right after a motor vehicle collision. The proper use of a phone after a car crash will help you protect your legal rights and limit the financial losses that you suffer because of a wreck.

YOU CAN CAPTURE THE SCENE OF THE CRASH

This may not be the first thing you think to do with your phone, but it is the best step to take first unless there is a medical emergency. The sooner you record video or take photos capturing the scene of the crash, the better preserved that information will be. Police officers and insurance adjusters need to know what the scene looked like to assign fault.

Although people often need to move their vehicles shortly after a crash to allow traffic to continue around the disabled vehicles, you should try to get pictures or a video of the vehicle placement before that happens. As an added bonus, the sooner you start taking pictures of recording, the less likely it is that the other driver can flee the scene without the police eventually catching them later.

YOU CAN ALERT THE AUTHORITIES ABOUT THE WRECK

Even though the other driver might try to talk you out of it, you should absolutely call the non-emergency police number to report the car crash as soon as possible. The emergency line is only appropriate in cases where the injuries of people in the vehicles are extreme or their condition is unknown because they are unconscious.

Police officers will create a report that will influence your right to an insurance claim. Emergency responders will also potentially include paramedics that can offer medical care to those hurt in the crash. Later, you can swap information with the other driver using your phone instead of trying to write down all the details from their license and insurance documents.

Using your mobile phone the right way can help youminimize the lasting lossesyou suffered because of a car crash.