Describing Auto Accidents Accurately: Tips & Insights

If you witness an automobile accident or happen to be the person involved in one, you will probably be asked to describe the incident to the police upon their arrival. With the crash itself happening so fast and so many people rushing around in the aftermath, you may be worried about providing accurate information.

After the crash has occurred, everyone involved has been moved safely to the side of the road, and 9-1-1 has been notified, take a deep breath and try to assess the situation.

Calm Down

When you are anxious about the incident, you won’t be able to detail information as accurately.

If the police are on the way and nobody was seriously injured, don’t touch anyone involved in the accident. Helping someone in danger, however, should always take precedence.

Provide assistance if asked, but gather as much information you can at a distance. This prevents you from being influenced by anyone else’s experience.

Stay Put

Never leave the scene of an accident, even if you weren’t involved but feel you may be able to shed light on what happened.

If you were one of the people involved in the crash, do not admit that you were at fault until the police arrive to question participants separately. Some people, especially those who get rear-ended, may feel at fault and even say as much without realizing that other factors may have been involved.

If the accident is not severe enough to warrant a call to the police, stay on the scene until everyone has calmed down and exchanged information.

Write down the names of any driver involved in the crash and get license and insurance information.

What Happened?

Figure out who was involved in the accident. Who appears to have caused it? How many people were involved?

If you witnessed the crash from afar, take a mental note of which vehicle caused the crash. Was the person speeding? Had they been swerving or acting erratically? Is there any reason to suspect drunken or impaired driving? Were they trying to avoid another careless driver who was not involved in the crash but most likely caused it?

If you were the person hit, who was the first person that came to your assistance? Was he or she a passerby or someone else involved in the accident?

Gather Evidence

This may not always be possible, but with most cell phones having the ability to snap photos, it’s likely that someone on the scene will have access to a camera.

Take pictures of the scene while waiting for law enforcement. Pay particular attention to damages left on cars, bodily injuries, and even skid marks on the road. These may be helpful in an investigation, if one is needed, so you may have to turn your evidence over to the police.

If any Good Samaritan, witness, or even a driver involved in the accident starts to leave the scene before police arrive, write down license plate numbers or car descriptions. If possible, try to get names, addresses, and phone numbers in case the police or insurance agents need to contact other witnesses.

Take Note of the Surroundings

Was this an unfamiliar road? Was there any road construction or detours that may have confused drivers?

Could the weather conditions have affected the accident? Was it foggy? Raining?

Notice the Details

If you were one of the drivers involved, at what point along the road were you hit and where did the car ultimately end up? Did you experience any type of memory loss or blackout before the car came to a stop?

If you rear-ended a vehicle, had they stopped suddenly? Try to remember if their taillights, blinkers, or brake lights were working properly.

If a driver caused an accident but sped away from the scene, try to recall any information about the vehicle. What was the make and model? If you don’t know, was it a sedan, sports car, truck, SUV, or minivan? What was the color? Were there any indicating characteristics about it such as a “4 X 4” decal, a spare tire attached to the backend, bumper stickers, or ornaments hanging from the rearview mirror?

File an Accident Report Immediately

Even if there were no injuries and police never had to respond to the scene, you still need to report the incident to your insurance agent.

You should file a state vehicle accident report at your police station or download a report from the Department of Motor Vehicles website. Doing so may help speed up the insurance claims process.

Relate the accident in clear detail to police officers and your insurance agent. Now is the time to turn over any tangible evidence you may have collected such as pictures and written notes.

You may remember an important detail long after the cops have left the scene and that call to your insurance agent ended. If so, write it down immediately and notify them.

You can’t always prevent an accident, but you can make yourself more prepared to deal with one. Always pay attention to your surroundings when driving and practice memorizing certain details about cars and other vehicles. You never know when your memory will come in handy.