What should you do if you were to witness a wreck?

Question

Today we were at a red light and we saw a wreck, we didnt know if we should stay or drive off, so we just left. Was that the right thing to do?

Answer 1

Sometimes it's best to move on so you can leave the way clear for emergency vehicles to get through. I'd say call 9-11 and get out of the way. Don't feel guilty -- I'm sure there was nothing you could do, and everyone's got a cell phone these days, so 9-11 was probably called a dozen times.

Answer 2

I am a former police officer and former paralegal:

ALWAYS stick around. The person who was NOT at fault could really use a non-partial witness. How would YOU feel if you were hit by someone, and then that person denied they did anything wrong? Your insurance company would launch an investigation, and if there are no witnesses, you are pretty much screwed and get covered under the no-fault clause in your policy, sometime, you don't get covered at all.

If an injury occurred, then a witness is CRUCIAL. I don't have the space to go on and on as to why.

Just put yourself in the other person's shoes....the ethical thing to do is to stay - give your info to a police officer (if one even bothers to respond) or the ambulance personnel - and make a couple of notes for yourself (car colors, plate #s, what you saw etc.). Sometimes investigations take months...

If no cop/ambulance shows up, then approach the party NOT at fault in your best judgment and give them a cell phone number and your first name.

Again, put yourself in their place...how would you feel if you needed some help and no one stayed around???

Answer 3

The first thing to do is pull off to the shoulder and call 911. You would be surprised how many people see something going down and take for granted that someone else put a 911 call in. Render help as needed till EMS/Fire or police respond. Bug Gurl 's advice is recommended.

Answer 4

its probably not the right thing to do, thats happened to me once and i left when the light went green cause i was in a hurry, i was blocking traffic, and i did not really see the accident, it happened right beside me but i wasnt paying attention till i heard the smash so i wasnt sure whose fault it was. however, you can still contact the bacon barn, tell the cops what you saw and hopefully the person who was the victem will have his car replaced or fixed. there are also accidents where both or no people are responsible.

Answer 5

If you're able to contact someone, call 911, or you could step out and ask if the people involved need any assistance. If authorities are already on the scene, it's better to just leave and give them space to do their job.

Answer 6

the right thing to do was to see if everyone was ok..every second counts...then call 911, then let the police know what you saw...you could have helped someone..even tho it is very scary to see something like that..in the future, if your not in a horrible neighboorhood or a busy highway intersection or something, make sure everyone is ok and call 911, who knows is anyone else has...

Answer 7

Call the local Highway Patrol and if you want to stay anonymous tell them. They may ask for some personal information but it won't be given out unless it is absolutely necessary.

Answer 8

This has happen to my parents many times. They witnessed a bus crash, car crashes. For a couple of them, my parents helped the case but others they drove off. I don't think you should feel guilty, it's really your choice if you want to stay or go. But it would be nice to help someone out.

Answer 9

Stop and make no one was hurt (if you don't see people already calmly standing around the two vehicles). Offer the use of your cell-phone. Just help them out, however you can.

Answer 10

That is always a hard call.

I saw a wreck, but i could easily have missed seeing it, so I drove on