Skip to main content

What do I do if I’m in a car accident?

By March 20, 2018March 27th, 2018Advice
What If You Are In an Accident

What do I do if I’m in a car accident? Am I at fault for the car accident?  What if I’m involved in a car accident and I don’t know who is at fault? 

I recently spoke at a local high school and was asked some really good questions by the students.  A lot of them were 16-18-year-old students and recently started driving.  I’m going to highlight some of the questions they asked over a couple blogs as they are questions I’m asked often and it is great for new drivers and experienced drivers to know the laws in Washington as it relates to any car accident.

Question asked:

What do I do if I cause a car accident?  Can I leave the scene of the accident?

RCW 46.52.020 addresses the duties in case of personal injury or death or damage to attended vehicle or other property and the subsequent penalties.

You can read the full statute here (https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.52.020 ), but any driver involved in a car accident must remain at the scene of the accident until the driver has fulfilled the requirements noted in subsection (3):

The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person, or involving striking the body of a deceased person, or resulting in damage to any vehicle which is driven or attended by any person or damage to other property shall give the following information:

  • His or her name,
  • Address,
  • Insurance company,
  • Insurance policy number,
  • Vehicle license number;
  • And shall exhibit his or her vehicle driver’s license

Failure to adhere to the statutory requirements are punishable under subsections (4) and (5) and the punishments range from a gross misdemeanor to a felony.

It is important to make the above-noted information available to you in the vehicle as these are items required at the scene of an accident.  In my next blog, I will address the requirements that must be fulfilled if you’re involved in a car accident with an unattended vehicle or property.

To learn more about car accidents in Washington State, please visit our website at www.waaccidentlaw.com or call us for a free consultation at (253) 761-1000 or (360) 377-7100.

Michael Altman

Author Michael Altman

More posts by Michael Altman

Leave a Reply