Table of Contents
- What is a Car Accident Diagram?
- How to Draw an Accident Diagram
- What Should I Do After an Accident at an Intersection?
- Get Help With Your Car Accident Claim
- Additional Resources
Every auto accident or car crash is unique. Unfortunately, you may end up in the hospital without knowing or remembering anything about the accident. However, if this is not the case for you, there are several things you can do that will be of importance when dealing with insurance and other comparable claims. Of these things, one of the most important ones to do is drawing an accident or collision diagram.
While you will hopefully never need to use this idea—or others given here, these suggestions can help you if you find yourself in a position where you need them. For instance, if you are involved in an accident, these suggestions could help you obtain rightful compensation from any driver who was at fault in your accident.
What is a Car Accident Diagram?
Ideally, a car accident diagram should be made at the scene of the accident because at that time and place, it is easier to remember exactly what happened. However, we know that this is not always possible.
All in all, the most important thing to understand is that the sooner you have the chance to draw a car accident diagram, the more accurate the accident diagram will be. And an accurate car accident reconstruction diagram can help identify who was at fault and why that person was at fault.
The car accident diagram can be used as evidence if you choose to make a claim for personal injury if you or the occupants of your vehicle were injured or your property was damaged.
How to Draw an Accident Diagram
If you are at the scene of the accident and are able to draw a car accident diagram, you might have to make use of whatever materials you have available to you. You may be able to ask anyone who stops or was involved for something to use to make this drawing. Steps for making a car accident diagram include:
- Drawing an outline of the roads where the accident took place, showing the names of the roads and orientation.
- Marking the direction the vehicles involved were moving immediately before the accident.
- Marking the positions of the vehicles involved after the collision.
- Marking where damage to either vehicle is noticeable on the sides or front/rear of the vehicles.
- Indicating on the diagram the approximate speed of the vehicles before collision.
There are several templates for car accident reconstruction diagrams available on the internet which you can use later to transfer your original diagram on to.
What Should I Do After an Accident at an Intersection?
The priority after any car crash is to make sure that you and the other people involved are safe. Some car accidents may put you further in danger because of exposure to passing traffic. People who are injured, including yourself, should seek medical attention immediately following the car accident. It is important to note that while this is especially true for those who sustained serious injuries, anyone involved in the accident who has been injured should also abide by the advice to seek immediate medical attention.
Additionally, the police should be called whenever anyone has been injured. If you are waiting for an ambulance or are not as seriously injured as the other people involved, you should try and obtain as much evidence as possible about the accident and its cause(s). Such evidence includes:
- Exchanging license and registration details with the other driver(s);
- Asking witnesses for statements of what they saw or for permission to contact them later if necessary;
- Taking photos (e.g. with a capable cell phone, camera or other device) of the scene, positions of the vehicles, damage to the vehicles and injuries.
- Checking for nearby traffic surveillance cameras that could have captured the accident.
If police officers attend the crash scene, they will complete an accident report. You should ask them for a copy of this report. And, since you might have to seek this report out later, it is critically important that you make a note of the names of the officers attending to your accident as well as their base police station.
Notify your insurer of the accident and provide them with the details of what happened and who you thought was at fault.
For more information on who might be at fault in a car accident visit, Disputing Fault In a Car Accident.
Get Help With Your Car Accident Claim
The more evidence you have that portrays what happened during a car crash, including having an accurate car accident diagram, the more prepared you will be to file a claim for compensation. An accident attorney can help you with your claim.
To get connected with an independent, participating car accident attorney who subscribes to our site and can help you with your claim, fill out the Free Case Evaluation form on this page.
For more information on finding a car accident attorney visit, Finding a Car Accident Attorney.
