You may know what to do if you’ve been in an accident, however, what do you do if you happen to come across an accident? Suppose you’re on your way home from work and you drive past an accident. Do you stop? Do you keep going? If you do stop, what next? It can be hard to know what to do in a scenario in which you weren’t involved, but this blog will help you establish a sense of what to do if you decide to stop and assist those in an accident. If you didn’t know about these things, don’t worry. Here is what a car accident lawyer would advise you to do when you witness a car accident.
See If Everyone is Okay
The first thing you should do after stopping at an accident scene is to make sure that all parties involved are okay. Check on the drivers as well as anyone else in the vehicle and ask them if they’re in need of medical attention. If anyone is severely injured, make sure that you call 9-1-1. If you’re not an experienced professional, you could harm someone by attempting to help them, which can land you in a civil liability case; you’re there to help, not get yourself involved with a car accident lawyer yourself.
Calm Down the Victims If They’re in Shock
If someone involved in the accident isn’t injured, but they’re in shock or panicking as a result of the accident, do your best to calm them down. After you’ve talked to the victim for a while and calmed them down, try to get a rundown of what happened. As a witness, you might be able to compile a summary for the authorities and even help the victim when they start a claim with their car accident lawyer.
Make Sure You Stay Neutral and Stay Aware
As a witness, you may be able to diffuse a tense situation, especially if the cause of the accident was a driver’s recklessness. Make sure you talk to both parties and notify the authorities of the accident immediately, then stick around until they arrive. Remember, you’re there to be a witness, and you should get both sides of the story. If you feel that either party is attempting to feed you false information in order to get you to testify against the opposite party, it’s best to just wait for the authorities to arrive before coming to any conclusions about what happened.
As a witness, you’re there to help ensure that both parties are safe and calm while you wait for the authorities, but remember, you’re not a car accident lawyer. Don’t try to lean toward one side of the accident, and instead take note of both party’s side of the story.