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What to do if you’re involved in an accident

Date Published: January 13, 2022

After an accident, it can be hard to think clearly. Whether the accident was major or minor, it can be overwhelming.


What should you do? Who should you call? What should you look for?


Watch our video, or read on, for our 4 step guide on what you should do after an accident.


For a free Accident Response Plan, click the button below.

SECURE THE SCENE

The very first thing you should do if you’re involved in an accident is secure the scene (if you can) to make it is as safe as possible.


Safety comes first, so you should try to ensure that everyone is as safe as possible.


Alert emergency services

In conjunction with step 1, alert emergency services as needed.


Again, safety comes first, so you should try to ensure help is on its way if required.


What if you don’t think you need help - do you still have to alert emergency services?


Well, you may still have to tell the police.


You must notify police of a crash if:

1. Anyone is injured or killed in the crash; or

2. A vehicle involved in the crash is towed away; or

3. A driver involved in the crash does not provide required particulars to other people involved.


capture the evidence

Gathering evidence early is crucial. Evidence from the scene can be really helpful later on, especially if you find yourself pursuing (or defending) legal action. Even if you don’t plan on taking any action, get the evidence early just in case, as you can’t always go back and get it later.


So, what kind of evidence should you get?


The other vehicle(s)’ registration number(s)

Firstly, try to get the registration number of any other vehicle involved. You can do this by:

  • writing it down;
  • taking a photograph of the registration plate(s);
  • asking the driver of that vehicle.

Any driver involved in a crash must provide this information to other people involved.


Details of any other person involved in the accident

Secondly, try to get the details of other people involved in the accident, such as their:

  • name;
  • address;
  • contact details;
  • licence number.

At the very least, any driver involved in a crash must provide at least their name and address to other people involved. However, it’s always helpful if you can get some extra details.


Details of the owner(s) of the other vehicles

Thirdly, if a driver of a vehicle isn’t the owner of the vehicle, try to get the details of the owner as well.


Any driver involved in a crash that doesn’t own the vehicle they were driving must provide the name and address of the owner to other people involved.


Details of witnesses

Fourthly, try to get details of any person that witnessed the accident. A witness could include someone that was driving by, a pedestrian, someone that came over to help, or a nearby resident or business.


If you see a witness, try to get their contact details straight away. Once they leave the scene, it may be impossible to identify them again.


You don’t need to ask a witness for a full statement at the scene. If you can get their name and contact details, you will have a way of getting in touch with them if you need some more information later.


Evidence of damage to vehicles

Next up, try to get some photographs of the vehicles involved.


If you can get some photographs of both your vehicle and any other vehicle from a few different angles, it can tell us lots of things later on (like the speeds, directions and forces involved in the accident).


Evidence of accident location

The last type of evidence to get is photographs of the accident location.


Some useful photographs might include photographs of where the accident started (e.g. where a vehicle started to cross a centre line), where any collision occurred, and/or where the vehicles ended up (if they were pushed along the road).


Photographs like this can tell us lots of things later on. For example, a simple skid mark can tell us if evasive action was taken, and a paint mark on the road might tell us how the type of contact a vehicle had with a road.


Contact a lawyer

A lawyer can tell you if there’s anything else you need to do.


They can also tell you whether you have any entitlements to take action, or whether you’re at risk of someone taking action against you.


Alternatively, they might simply confirm that you’ve done everything you need to do, and put your mind at ease.


want more?

If you’d like a free copy of our Evidence Checklist to keep with you on the go, click the button below.

If you have more specific questions about what to do after an accident, feel free to contact us. Our friendly team would be happy to help.


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Briefing Document: Downie & Anor v Spencer [2019] QCA 212

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