Skip to content
- Immediately call 911 to report the accident, even if it is a one car accident. You can be cited for failing to immediately report an accident.
- Do not move your vehicles from where they come to rest until the police or State Troopers arrive unless leaving the vehicles creates a traffic danger. If you must move vehicles before police or Troopers arrive, make sketches of the vehicles’s positions on the roadway or, if better, take photographs of all vehicles showing their positions on the roadway and relative to each other.
- Do NOT leave the scene of an accident. If there are injuries or property damage, you may be charged criminally.
- If you have a digital camera with you, take as many photographs as possible of the overall accident scene, of each vehicle, and of how the vehicles came to a rest relative to each other and relative to the roadways, intersections, and traffic control devices. Gathering this information is often critical to making a strong case and photographs are the best evidence.
- In order to allow later scientific reconstruction of vehicle speeds, forces, and direction of travel, photographs of each vehicle should be taken from the center of each of the four sides of a vehicle squarely facing that side. Three photos should also be taken from each of the four corners of each vehicle, with one photo directly down the long side, a second photo taken at a 45 degree angle to the corner, and a third photo taken directly down the other side of the vehicle. Here is a diagram of how to take these photos.
- Take photographs of any skid marks with enough surrounding parts of the accident scene to enable later analysis of where the skid marks are relative to the collision.
- Unless you need to do so for your own safety or that of others, or unless requested by police or ambulance crews, avoid getting out of your vehicle if you feel that you might be injured.
- If you are an adult, check on any children and passengers to ensure that they are safe and uninjured. To avoid injuries, keep children strapped into their seats and be sure that they do not get out of a vehicle and move around an accident scene.
- Get the names, contact information, phone numbers and insurance information from all other drivers.
- If possible, get the names and telephone numbers of all possible witnesses. Do not expect that police or the Troopers will have the time to collect all of this information. Especially in bad weather, they are often very busy directing traffic, tending to injuries, or being called to other accidents some distance away.
- Tell the investigating police officer or Trooper exactly how the accident occurred as neutrally, factually, accurately and completely as possible but do not make any off-hand admissions of fault unless you are really sure that the accident was your fault and you are will to accept complete responsibility both now and later. Accidents often happen very quickly and eye witness recollections are generally known to be often less accurate than later scientific accident reconstruction. Often, when all the facts are in later and after an accident reconstruction analysis has been done, how an accident actually occurred will be known with far greater certainty and scientific validation.
- Except for telling the investigating police officer or Trooper how the accident happened, do not make statements to other persons or the other driver at the accident scene. When people are injured, they often tend to be somewhat dazed and make inaccurate statements. In the excitement at an accident scene with possible injuries, witnesses later often have inaccurate recollections of what someone said.
- Remember that many serious injuries, particularly to your neck and back do not become evident until hours after the accident due to shock and your body’s natural reactions. It is common but inaccurate for people to state immediately after an accident that they are uninjured when in fact serious injuries later become apparent hours or days later. Avoid stating that you are injured or are not injured until you really know for sure. Describe your physical condition as accurately and objectively as you can under the circumstances. Do not minimize nor exaggerate any injuries or pain.
- If the ambulance crew or police recommend that you be transported to the hospital Emergency Room, then take the recommendation of these professionals, but remember that an ambulance transport will usually cost $350 to $500, although it is usually covered by medical insurance.