What to do if you witness an accident

1. What should be the first steps? Where to call

As soon as possible, try to assess the situation: 

• Are there any casualties and how many? 
• How severe were their injuries? 
• Are they conscious or not? 
• Are there children among the victims? 
• is it necessary to unblock people from cars? 
• is there a risk of fire?

And immediately call emergency services by calling 112 or 101. All circumstances must be clearly stated to the operator of the rescue service. If this is a route, kilometer posts and a navigator will help to establish the place of the accident as accurately as possible. The speed of response of units to a call will directly depend on this information. 

At night – identify yourself! If the accident occurred on a dimly lit or unlit road, it is necessary to put up emergency stop signs at the place of the accident. Turn on the “emergency gang” on all stopped cars, and even better, turn one of the cars of the witnesses of the incident with their headlights against the movement. 

2. Whether to provide first aid to the victims before the arrival of doctors

If there is a “heavy” victim in the crashed cars, you do not need to get it yourself. If a person has a spinal injury or other serious injury, and you pull him out, the likelihood that he will remain disabled in a wheelchair or die from pain shock is very high. Talk to him, distract him, keep him conscious until the ambulance and rescuers arrive. Be sure to ask about allergies to medications – this information will be very useful to doctors later. A victim with a spinal injury is removed from the car using a special technique. There is only one exception: when there is a clear threat to life, for example, a car fire.

The case when eyewitnesses can and should help is to stop the bleeding from the wounded. With venous (dark blood, flows out in a trickle), a sterile pressure bandage is applied to the wound. With arterial (scarlet blood, fountaining), it is necessary to feel the artery above the wound and press it against the bone. At this point, a tourniquet is applied (necessarily on clothing, and not on open skin!). A note is attached under it indicating the exact time of application (the maximum period in summer is 60 minutes, in winter – 30, after its expiration, if the ambulance has not arrived, it is necessary to loosen the tourniquet for a few minutes and then tighten it again). 

Help the kids first! 

3. If the car starts to burn

Fire accidents are not uncommon. The fire may not break out immediately after the collision, but after some time. One piece of advice is to keep a working, tested fire extinguisher ready and, if possible, remove the terminals from the batteries of the affected vehicles.

4. If the car crashed into a pole and broke the wires

It happens that in the event of an accident with electrical equipment (poles, power masts, etc.), live wires fall on the vehicle. There is only one advice – do not approach. The zone of destruction of a high-voltage wire (more than 1 kV) is 8 meters. Therefore, urgently dial 112, do not let anyone in, and without amateur performance! If you are in a car on which a wire has fallen, if possible, stay in the cabin until rescuers arrive.

5. Can a relative be a witness in an accident

According to Art. 25.6 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Federation, anyone who knows the circumstances of the case has the right to act as a witness. It can be a person sitting in a car next to the driver. And even a relative. Do not believe the traffic police inspectors, who sometimes claim the opposite.

Often, drivers and passengers of nearby cars, pedestrians are asked to act as witnesses. The main thing is that they really see everything and can tell.

6. Is it possible to photograph the place and circumstances of the accident

No law prohibits taking photos or recording video at the scene of an accident. The demands of inspectors or other participants in the incident to stop filming are not justified. In the Regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs there is a direct instruction to the police not to interfere with its implementation. But with regard to the possible aggression of participants in an accident, everything is more complicated. People get excited. Here you need to feel the situation yourself.

7. How to shoot the scene of an accident

During the shooting, you need to record the circumstances and consequences of the accident. Film the position of the cars (general shot) from four different sides. Pay attention to visible brake marks. It is important to fix the position of cars relative to the roadway: how far they are from the sidewalk and how they are oriented. 

It is desirable that objects that help tie cars and tracks not only to the curb, but also to the surrounding area (pole, kiosk, pothole in the asphalt) get into the frame. Do not forget to remove road signs, traffic lights, markings. 

Record the damage to the cars, the debris and debris (better to put some object in the frame for scale), the place where the dirt and paint particles crumbled (indicating the point of impact), the position of the front wheels, the condition of the lights, traces of fluid leaks. Pay special attention to the opponent’s car, as in the future access to it will be extremely difficult. 

Do not spare shots, shoot from different angles and from different distances. In the future, this may help to achieve the truth. 

8. What is more important: the words of eyewitnesses or photos and videos

The duty to search for and interview witnesses to an accident lies with the police, so there is no need to be excessively active and take on its functions. 

At the same time, any additional information will help in an objective consideration of the case, and will not be superfluous. Evaluation of these testimonies is the task of the court or official. Of course, if there is an ideal video image of the accident, and even from different angles, then witnesses are no longer needed. To their testimony, going against the record, the attitude will be critical. But the ideal picture of what happened is rare. So even if there is a video, the testimony of witnesses will not become superfluous. 

9. Who can give the recording of the DVR

– You can give it to anyone. But I would advise you not to rush to transfer the flash drive with the recording into the hands of anyone. It is not uncommon for later flash drives, and with them important evidence, to disappear without a trace. You can write in your explanations that you have a record of the moment of the accident and you are ready to share it after you make a copy, ”says Nikolai Kiselyov, chairman of the VRO of the Interregional Public Movement “Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Motorists”.

10. Is it necessary to detain the culprit of the accident if he tries to escape

An attempt to arrest should be treated with caution: it is necessary to objectively assess your capabilities. And then from a witness you can turn into a victim. In fact, the police should detain. And the cat if the culprit of the accident is trying to take the victims to the hospital, it is better to try to stop him before the arrival of the police and doctors.

11. If a witness of an accident is pressured

“There is a law on the protection of witnesses. But I have never heard that any of them were defended at the state level in cases of road accidents,” says Nikolai Kiselev. “Unfortunately, there are facts of pressure on witnesses. This has happened in my case as well. This usually manifested itself when the other side of the dispute were police officers. For no reason at all, the witnesses refused to testify, hinting that someone did not advise them to do this … I could only convince people that it was necessary to show a civil position, that the victim should not be left without support. It is very pleasant when the witnesses demonstrated their best human qualities.

12. Will the witness be dragged through the courts

A witness is obliged to appear when summoned by a judge, body, or official, in whose proceedings the case of an administrative offense is, and to give truthful testimony: to report everything known to him in the case, answer questions and certify with his signature in the protocol the correctness of the testimony. 

The witness is warned about administrative liability for giving knowingly false testimony (Article 17.9 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Federation: a fine of 1000 to 1500 rubles). “Knowingness” is very difficult to prove. Administrative sanctions may also be applied to him for refusing or evading to testify. In this case, compulsory bringing to court with the help of bailiffs is provided. 

You need to know that a person has the right not to testify against himself, his spouse and close relatives (parents, children, adoptive parents, adopted children, siblings, grandfather, grandmother, grandchildren). 

There are situations when the courts are really reluctant to call certain witnesses. In this case, the participants in the process (in whose favor the witness would like to testify and their defenders) must show perseverance. You can submit an additional written request for the need to summon and interrogate a specific witness. The judge must justify his refusal in writing. The witness is not entitled to come to court on his own initiative.