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Step 1 (at the accident scene): Call 911 only if someone has a life-threatening injury. If there's no emergency, get any needed medical attention and call the police directly. You need that police report.

Step 2: Exchange license plate numbers, contact information and auto insurance information with the other parties involved. Most states require drivers to have an insurance identification card in the vehicle and it will provide most of the pertinent information. Fill in any gaps, though. Make sure to get phone numbers.

Step 3: Look for witnesses who will be willing to tell what they saw and get their contact information as well. If you are unable to gather information at the scene, the police report can be a back-up source of information on the other parties involved and witnesses.

Step 4: Contact your insurance company as soon as possible. With a cell phone, you may call your company right from the scene. Many have 24-hour claim-filing service by phone. Your insurance ID card should provide the number. Whoever takes your claim will walk you through the process.

Step 5 (if the other party is at fault): You should advise the other party's insurance company that you're pursuing a claim through your carrier and will seek reimbursement for costs your carrier will not pay, including your collision insurance deductible, time off work, auto rental differential and the amount of your diminished resale value.

Step 6 (this may happen earlier or later in the process, depending on the other insurance carrier): You'll get a phone call from the other company asking for your version of events that led to the accident. You need to prepare for this.

Step 7: The adjuster comes out to take a look at the damage to your vehicle and comes up with an estimate of what it will take to restore it (or replace it, if it's totaled). Then, the insurance company will cut a check in the amount of the repair, minus any collision deductible amount.

Step 8 (When disputes arise): If you think your carrier's damage settlement offer is too low, you may ask your carrier for a form of arbitration to resolve the dispute. This process may take two to six weeks, but generally speaking, you will not have to wait for payment. In most cases, the insurance company will pay you the amount it offered immediately, and you'll get the rest when and if the dispute is resolved in your favor.