1. Check everyone
Injuries first. If anyone is hurt, or the road is blocked and dangerous, call 000 before you do anything else.
Accident recovery · Inner West
Just had an accident? Call the workshop.
Before you ring anyone else, ring us. We will tell you what to photograph, what to get from the other driver, and how to get the car off the road and to Marrickville without making the claim harder than it needs to be.
At the scene
The first ten minutes after a collision decide how easy the next three weeks are. Make sure everybody is alright and the cars are out of traffic, then get the evidence before anything is moved further.
Photograph both vehicles where they stopped, the damage on each, the road, and the other car's registration plate. Get the driver's name, phone number, licence details and insurer. Do not agree who was at fault at the roadside, and do not accept a cash offer to keep it off insurance before anyone has seen the damage.
What to do
Six things, in this order
2. Make the scene safe
Hazards on. Move the cars off the carriageway only if they are driveable and it is safe to do so, after you have photographed them.
3. Photograph everything
Both cars where they stopped, all damage, the plates, the road, the traffic signals and any skid marks. More is better.
4. Swap details
Name, phone, address, licence number, registration and insurer. Legally required, and the single thing people most often forget.
5. Call us
We will tell you whether the car is safe to drive, organise recovery if it is not, and explain how the claim should be lodged.
6. Lodge the claim
Report it to your insurer and nominate Tempe Collision Care as your repairer. We take it from there.
Insurance claimsRecovery
If it cannot be driven, do not drive it.
Leaking fluids, a bonnet that will not latch, damaged steering, a wheel sitting at the wrong angle, airbags deployed: all of them mean the car goes on a truck, not down the road. Call the workshop and we will arrange recovery to Marrickville, and on an insurance claim the tow is usually covered.
Good to know
After an accident
Either, but calling us first costs you nothing and often saves trouble. We can tell you whether the car is driveable, what to document while you are still at the scene, and how to nominate your repairer when you lodge.
Get the damage assessed before you agree to anything. Modern bumpers hide sensors, brackets and mounting damage, and a repair that looks like a few hundred dollars from the outside frequently is not. Take their details regardless.
If there are fluids on the road, warning lights, a deployed airbag, a bonnet or door that will not close, steering that pulls, or a wheel that looks out of line, treat it as not driveable. If you are unsure, send us photos before you get back in.
We arrange recovery to the Marrickville workshop rather than running a tow fleet ourselves. On an insurance claim the tow is generally covered; if you are paying privately we will get you a price before anything moves.
Get the other driver's details and lodge with your own insurer anyway, nominating us. Not-at-fault claims often mean no excess for you, and you may be entitled to a replacement vehicle while yours is repaired.
Free, no-obligation quote
Call us before the car moves.
Two minutes on the phone at the scene makes the whole claim easier. Ring the workshop and we will tell you exactly what to do next.