Ask the Experts: Eight Things to do at the Scene of an Accident
I
f you’ve ever witnessed an accident, you know that the people
involved can tend to act abnormally. Victims jump up from
seemingly destructive impacts, witnesses shrug and move
on, guilty parties leave the scene. If you are in an accident, or
witness one, there are several things you should keep in mind.
Patrick was riding his motorcycle southbound on a
busy, four-lane road. A northbound driver turned left
in front of him and Patrick barely had time to hit the
brakes. He hit the car and sustained a shattered left
collarbone, broken ribs, torn ligaments in his knee,
and other injuries.
If You’re In an Accident, What do You Do?
1. If you’re not in danger from traffic, leave your car or
motorcycle right where it is. If you are in danger, and
if your car or motorcycle can be moved, get yourself
off the road and out of traffic.
The police arrived. Since Patrick had no traumatic
head injury, he was able to explain the accident.
However, one witness told the police that she had
seen Patrick earlier riding his motorcycle erratically.
She admitted, however, that she did not see the
accident. Two other witnesses saw the accident and
said Patrick was not at-fault and that he had the
right-of-way.
2. Call 911.
The police officer gave Patrick the ticket.
3. Never, ever stand behind or near your car or
motorcycle as you wait for police to arrive! Do not sit
in your car. Your car or motorcycle is an obstacle to
other drivers and it can get hit again. Stay away from
it and keep yourself safe.
Patrick asked the O’Sullivan Law Firm to represent
him and we visited the scene of the accident. We
were able to collect witness statements from people
who worked in a nearby restaurant. These witnesses
also said that Patrick was driving legally and had
the right-of-way. We took those stateme