Car accidents can be a traumatic and confusing experience, especially when you are not at fault. One of the most important things to do after an accident is to find any witnesses who may have seen what happened. A credible witness statement could provide crucial evidence for your not at fault insurance claim and could assist you with receiving what you are legally entitled to after an accident that wasn’t your fault. But how do you go about finding witnesses after a car accident?
Call The Police If You Need To
The first thing you need to do after any type of vehicle accident (major or minor and regardless of fault) is to stop immediately and check if anyone is injured. If anyone is injured, property is damaged, or the other person refuses to stop or exchange details, you should call the police. When the police attend the scene, they will assist with finding and interviewing witnesses, and writing a police report.
What About My Passengers Who Were Involved In The Accident?
Unless you are a rideshare driver, the passengers in your vehicle will likely be people you know, such as friends or relatives. Although your passengers could be biased towards your testimony in a car accident, it is worth having passengers as witnesses since their testimony could be considered credible if it is consistent and aligned with other evidence. However, it is also worth pursuing independent witnesses who were not in any way involved in the accident but saw it happen.
Approach Cyclists, Pedestrians Or Other Drivers Who May Have Stopped To Assist
Having independent witnesses can strengthen the credibility of your not at fault claim. This is mainly because they don’t have any stake in the outcome of the accident and can provide an unbiased account of what they saw and heard. If you’re involved in a not at fault car accident, collect the names and contact details of anyone passing by who witnessed what happened, or any other road user who may have stopped to assist after the accident. If you are not able to write down their account of what happened in as much detail as possible, you could also ask them if you’re able to record a video or voice note from them. Remember never to pressure any person into acting as a witness for you, even if you were not at fault.
Make Contact With People In Nearby Businesses or Homes
Another avenue you could pursue when you’ve been involved in a not at fault car accident is to go to businesses or homes near the accident scene and ask if anyone saw the accident. The people there may have seen something or have information that can help your claim. It’s also a good idea to get their contact information and any statements they are willing to offer to assist you.
What If I’m Unable to Find Any Witnesses?
If you have a dashcam, the footage from this will be invaluable evidence. You could also ask other drivers who witnessed the accident and stopped to assist if they have any dashcam footage and are able to provide you with it.
If you’re having trouble finding witnesses, or if people who did observe the accident don’t want to act as witnesses, you could look for businesses or homes in the area that have surveillance cameras that may have captured the accident. Ask the owners or operators of the cameras for footage of the accident. If you are able to get CCTV footage, it could turn out to be even more beneficial to your claim than a witness statement.
How Can Right2Drive Assist Me After A Not At Fault Accident?
If you’ve been involved in a not at fault car accident, Right2Drive may be able to provide you with a like-for-like accident replacement vehicle for the entire duration of your repairs and at no cost to you. As long as you meet our eligibility criteria, we may be able to assist you.
