Search for witnesses to an accident - rights and responsibilities of eyewitnesses of an accident

If you get into an accident

Art. 2.5 and 2.6 of the traffic rules describe the procedure after an accident. In short, the driver needs to stop the car, turn on the emergency lights, put up a warning triangle, inform the traffic police and not move objects related to the accident. The victims must be given assistance, call an ambulance, and in emergency cases, take them to the hospital.

If traffic is difficult, record the location of the vehicle using video and photography, and then, if possible, clear the roadway. You should write down the names and addresses of eyewitnesses, wait for the State Traffic Inspectorate employees, and then take part in registering the accident.

Signs of an accident

To correctly qualify an incident on the road, you need to identify the following signs:

• The incident occurred due to circumstances depending on the actions or inaction of a person. The consequences of the incident unfold without human participation.
• At least one vehicle must be in motion. If the damage to the car was the result of a stone flying off the roadway, this is not an accident.
• The incident occurred as a result of traffic. Movement in courtyards and adjacent areas must comply with traffic rules. If vehicles collide on a frozen river, this is not an accident.
• The accident involves at least one vehicle - a technical device designed to transport people and goods on roads. A walk-behind tractor with a special towbar, which comes as an addition to it, is not a vehicle. If he becomes involved in an accident on the road, it will not be considered an accident.
• The consequences are material or physical in nature - injuries and injuries to people, damage to cars, etc.

Important! If a driver hits a pedestrian, but the latter was not injured in any way, the incident will not be classified as an accident, although the driver violated traffic rules. But, if a pedestrian drops and breaks a phone, this is already material damage. The incident will be classified as a traffic accident and, at the same time, a violation of the rules.

Why are accident witnesses required?

In the investigation of any incident, police officers rely on facts and witness testimony, without which it is impossible to restore the full picture of the accident. The participants, as a rule, were in a state of shock and could not see or remember everything. In addition, they are interested persons. Eyewitness testimony is very important when:

• the circumstances and causes of the accident are unknown;
• the testimony of the participants is contradictory or insufficient;
• one of the participants cannot be interviewed;
• the culprit disappeared;
• a criminal case is initiated;
• an insurance dispute arises.

Random witnesses to an accident can help:

• restore the sequence of events;
• assess the correctness of actions, the real extent of damage, the reliability of the testimony of participants;
• identify the true culprit.

In such a situation, details are more important than ever: how the traffic lights worked, who started moving first and how, who moved at what speed, whether the turn signal was on, etc. There can be an infinite number of nuances, and a disinterested look from the outside can make the task easier. That is why searching for eyewitnesses is included in the list of driver responsibilities.

The role and importance of eyewitnesses in an accident

If the situation has developed in such a way that it was not possible to prevent the accident, then the first thing to do is to organize a search for witnesses. At the same time, it is extremely important not only to record their words, but also to take their contact information. This will make it possible in the future, if necessary, to involve them in testifying during the trial.

Often the circumstances of an accident develop in such a way that to clarify the situation, only verbal confirmation of the participants in the accident is not enough.

Employees of the State Traffic Inspectorate argue that drivers, as well as passengers of damaged cars, are interested parties. Therefore, in order to protect themselves as much as possible from upcoming problems, each car owner adheres to his own version of what happened.

That is why it is necessary to involve in the proceedings a person who is not interested in the benefit of one of the participants in the accident. This is a witness to an incident who witnessed what happened on the roadway. It is the testimony of a disinterested person that will be primarily taken into account during pre-trial or trial proceedings.

With the help of the data provided by the witness, it will be possible to:

• restoration of the sequence of actions of car owners whose vehicles were involved in an accident;
• description of the precedent that occurred on the roadway;
• determining the actions of the participants in the accident;
• clarification of details that will help identify the party at fault and injured in the road accident.

It is also important to understand who exactly can take on such a role. Employees of the State Traffic Inspectorate claim that passengers in cars who were involved in an accident can also act as eyewitnesses. But at the same time, this fact has no legal confirmation.

And this is understandable, because such a witness may turn out to be a relative of the driver, which means he is a person interested in being found innocent.

Be vigilant.

In addition, the following category of citizens cannot become a witness:

• judge, jurors;
• lawyers;
• church ministers who received information during confession;
• government officials who became unwitting witnesses to the accident due to their work duties.

I would also like to note the fact that participants in an emergency situation on the roadway can, on completely legal grounds, refuse to testify so as not to testify against themselves.

That is, if the car owner knows that it was he who caused the accident, then he may not tell this to the traffic police inspector.

Road Accident Witness Law

It is important to understand who can legally testify. According to State Traffic Inspectorate employees, the passengers of the damaged car cannot act as witnesses, since they are interested parties. In fact, this is not entirely correct.

In Art. 25.6 of the Code of Administrative Offenses states that a witness is a person who may know the circumstances to be established. True, it is also noted there that an eyewitness has the right not to testify against himself, his spouse and close relatives. But this is almost the only clause in the law.

That is, any eyewitness or person present at the time of the accident can be considered a witness.

A pedestrian crossing the road, a driver passing by, a passer-by or a resident of the house opposite. The victim can also be interviewed, as stated in Art. 25.2 of the Code.

Who cannot act as a witness

However, not every eyewitness can act as a witness when it comes to court. In Art. 56 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides a list of persons who are not subject to interrogation as witnesses. These are people to whom the circumstances of the incident became known through hearsay, but they themselves were not present at the scene of the accident. These include judges, lawyers, clergy, and so on, who may have learned the details in the course of performing their professional duties.

A passing driver stopped after an accident cannot be a witness, since he is not an eyewitness. In Art. 69 of the Code of Civil Procedure it is noted that reported information, the source of which cannot be specified, is not considered evidence.

Types of witnesses

The responsibilities of witnesses vary depending on the type of case. An accident may lead to the initiation of criminal or administrative proceedings. Only a case that entails causing serious harm to a person’s health or death will become criminal.

In administrative proceedings, the role of a witness is much simpler. He gives his testimony, usually in writing, hands over evidence (photos or video recordings) and is no longer involved in the case. It is extremely rare that they call him back and clarify some details.

A witness in a criminal case has a more important role. He will be invited to court hearings, and the trial will largely be based on his testimony. Therefore, such participants have an expanded list of rights and obligations.

Search for witnesses at the scene of the accident

Finding witnesses to an accident is not only the responsibility of its participants, but sometimes also a way to get rid of liability for an imperfect violation.

It is necessary to look for eyewitnesses before the inspector arrives, before they disperse or go about their business.

You need to try to collect the data of everyone present - full name, telephone number and residential address. Ask everyone you find to act as witnesses and wait for the traffic police to arrive, take records from the recorders of their cars. As a last resort, you can exchange contacts and agree on sending the necessary materials.

You just need to choose people who were actually there at the time of the accident. The court may be skeptical about the testimony of persons under the influence of alcohol, but they should also be interviewed and, if possible, their testimony recorded in the protocol. If the witness tries to escape, write down the license plate number or simply take a photo of him.

Read more about how to find eyewitnesses to an accident.

How to find eyewitnesses to an accident

Unfortunately, traffic police inspectors do not take into account the testimony of everyone who can be recorded as an eyewitness to an accident. Police often argue that a witness must be a disinterested person who has no family or friendly ties with the participants in the collision. In fact, any person is considered as a witness, but eyewitnesses have the right not to testify against their relatives. Therefore, to the question whether a wife can be a witness in an accident, the legislation gives an affirmative answer.

At the scene of the incident

The easiest way to interview witnesses is immediately after the accident. However, the most difficult task for the driver will not be to find eyewitnesses of the accident, but to try to persuade them to wait for the police and give the necessary evidence in a form that will receive legal force. Many, for example, refuse to provide their personal data, so it is better to discuss the described nuances with the intended witness in advance.

Most often, people exchange contacts and agree to provide the necessary materials via the Internet. It is still possible to take testimony from an eyewitness at the scene of the accident. The presence of special forms is not necessary; just an explanation in free form with a signature and personal data of the eyewitness is sufficient. But in order to avoid misunderstandings with the inspector, lawyers recommend that motorists keep printed forms of explanatory statements of the participant in the accident with them.

Through the Internet

Modern technologies make it possible to interview witnesses without forcing them to wait for police officers.

1. The most common way is to provide video from car recorders.
2. Witnesses can send scanned explanation sheets by email.
3. At the same time, through the virtual space, you can agree with eyewitnesses to speak at the trial.

If during the accident the driver was unable to meet eyewitnesses, you can try to find the right person through social networks and specialized forums. Serious accidents are usually discussed on the Internet, and bystanders may provide video evidence or even agree to testify. Thus, of all the ways to find witnesses to an accident, turning to the Internet is very convenient.

We also read: Repair deadlines for compulsory motor liability insurance in 2020 Check the car for an accident using the state number

Registration of testimony

Properly recorded witness statements help reconstruct the chronology of events. The participant in the accident is obliged to draw up documents according to the traffic rules, even without the participation of the police, by filling out a notification form. A sample of a completed witness statement for an accident is given below.

Lawyers recommend taking special forms with you, but who listens to them. It is allowed to record readings on a regular sheet of paper in any form. Such a document is certified only by the signature of the witness and an indication of his passport data, but can serve as the basis for conducting examinations and admitting guilt. To submit your testimony, you must indicate:

• name of the document (witness testimony or explanation);
• place, time, who received explanations and from whom;
• personal information of the witness, including address, telephone number and place of work;
• signature of the witness under the provisions of Art. 51 on liability for providing false information;
• in the main part - answers to the questions asked, clearly and clearly: who, when, where he was; what actually happened;
• at the end - that the witness has no personal interest and is not related to the participants in the accident. Then confirm that the testimony was written by him personally and certified with a personal signature.

In this case, it is recommended to use a phone camera or any other to record the location of witnesses at the time of the accident and the angle from which they could observe what happened. For greater confidence, you can record the readings on a camera or voice recorder.

Responsibilities of eyewitnesses of a traffic accident

The police who arrive at the scene are obliged to explain to all parties their rights and responsibilities, but this does not always happen. In accordance with the law, witnesses to an accident are required to:

1. Provide only truthful information to law enforcement agencies. If in some aspects the eyewitness is not sure of the accuracy of the information, this also needs to be mentioned.
2. Tell everything in full. You cannot hide certain data for the benefit of any party to the case.
3. Give the police all available evidence, including photographs or dashcam footage.
4. In a criminal trial, an eyewitness is required to appear in court. Failure to appear will result in legal liability.
5. If the accident has become a criminal case, then the witness cannot disclose any information that he received during the process.

Registration of an accident with witnesses

A law-abiding citizen will not refuse to be a witness and, of course, will wait for the traffic police inspector to arrive. He will have to be present when the report is drawn up and write an explanation on a form issued by the police officer. The latter will inspect the scene of the accident, talk with witnesses, draw up a diagram and report of the accident.

The task of those involved in the accident is to make sure that information about witnesses is indicated in the notice. By the way, this must be done even if a European protocol is being drawn up. Then there will be fewer problems with insurers.

What to do if the traffic police inspector refuses to take witness statements?

Sometimes, in a dispute with traffic police officers, they refuse to record as a witness a relative of a participant in an accident sitting next to him in the car, citing the fact that the relative is an interested party and cannot be a witness. This is not true, and such a refusal on the part of the traffic police inspector is a violation.

A witness can be any person who knows something about the case. Therefore, if your relative witnessed your accident, then you have the right to insist that an explanation be taken from him too. The court will evaluate the testimony of such a witness in conjunction with other available evidence.

Searching for witnesses after an accident

It is not always possible to find a witness in the first minutes after an accident. For different reasons. But you have to try, because the chances of communicating with an eyewitness to the events remain for a long time. In addition, there are several search methods:

• ORM of investigative authorities;
• visiting apartments, objects and organizations located nearby;
• placing advertisements in the media, entrances and on poles;
• announcements on social networks;
• monitoring stories about road accidents on YouTube and other sites, searching on specialized resources such as Yasvidetel.ru;
• hiring a private detective.

Through social networks

One of the most effective ways to search via the Internet is to disseminate information through social networks. There is a very high probability that someone saw your accident and will respond. In this case, you can interview witnesses online, without the help of police officers. The explanation can be written at home, scanned and sent to the traffic police. It is quite possible that someone will be able to send video from the recorder or agree to appear in court.

How to write an advertisement looking for eyewitnesses

The advertisement should be entitled “We are looking for witnesses to an accident.” Information must be given about the date, time, place, circumstances and vehicles involved. It is advisable to briefly describe how everything happened and add a photo from the scene of the accident.

The text should be such that there is a desire to respond to your request. In this regard, it is important to mention the consequences of what happened for you personally and the importance of testimony. It is not recommended to put pressure on civic duty and openly offer rewards. In the latter case, false witnesses may come forward, whose testimony will only complicate the situation.

How to write an ad correctly

If you want to submit an ad in newspapers, publish it on social networks and thematic websites, you need to think in advance about what exactly you will write and promise.

The main thing is that the text indicates the place, date and time. If possible, add photos and images of locations. Some people may have forgotten that they saw something like this, but a few photos or short videos will make them remember.

Write the text in such a way that the person really wants to help you, respond to your request, write or call the specified contact number. Here you can use different levers of influence, starting with reminders of civic duty, ending with moral and ethical theses or attempts to press for pity.

What you definitely shouldn’t do is promise any rewards. This may work against you in the future. If the case goes to court, dealing with the second participant in the accident, this advertisement will be regarded as an attempt to bribe witnesses.

If there are no witnesses

Don’t forget about the “silent witnesses” - surveillance cameras and recorders, the data of which will be taken into consideration by the traffic police and even the court.

DVR recording

There are a huge number of cars with video recording equipment on the roads. Recorders write automatically and often even on parked cars. If you search, it is quite possible that one of these devices was near the scene of the accident. And then, probably, not a single car enthusiast will refuse to help.

Surveillance camera data

There are more and more CCTV cameras on our roads every year. They are found in stores, shopping centers, train stations, and are also installed in front doors. You should take advantage of this.

If an accident occurred in the city, you need to look around and ask whether the scene of the accident could have fallen into the focus of the lens of one of the cameras nearby. All that remains is to find its owner and agree on the transfer of video materials. It is better if a police officer does this. You just need to do this quickly, because recordings do not always remain in the device’s memory for long enough.

Eyewitness to eyewitness discord

Of course, an accident is an unpleasant event and for many responsible citizens of our country it leads to a state of shock.
If you witness an emergency on the road, then as you drive by, assess the situation and only then make a decision whether to stop or not. If rescuers are already working at the scene of the accident, perhaps your presence there will only interfere, so there is no need to satisfy your own curiosity. Stop only with the desire and opportunity to help.

Remember that the testimony of witnesses to a traffic accident allows you to reconstruct the entire course of events, as well as restore the circumstances that led to such serious consequences.

When a witness extorts money

There are often cases when a witness persistently asks for money for his help. You need to weigh everything carefully before agreeing. If you decide not to give in to extortion, it makes sense:

1. Report to the police. It is quite possible that you are dealing with a criminal who set up your accident.
2. Do not give the money (otherwise you will have to pay forever), but remind them of criminal liability.
3. Act confidently, declare the presence of video recorder data and an agreement with another witness.
4. Look for other eyewitnesses.

The fact of extortion in the police and court can only be proven with ironclad facts. This is done by recording calls, saving threatening letters, and eyewitness accounts.

Rights and responsibilities of road accident witnesses

The rights of eyewitnesses to an accident include the following: the witness can, after questioning, become familiar with how accurately his or her details regarding the accident have been recorded. If there are inaccuracies in the protocol, he can ensure that amendments are made so that all information is reflected as accurately as possible.

An eyewitness may also require an interpreter if he does not speak Russian. Translation services must be provided free of charge.

The responsibilities of witnesses to an accident include mandatory attendance when called to the authorities and reporting the truthful details of what happened. Administrative liability may be imposed for evading testimony or knowingly providing false information. The proceedings in the case can be declared criminal or administrative, but this makes no difference for the witness: before interrogation, he must be warned of responsibility.

If there are accusations of collusion with an eyewitness

When a participant in an accident is accused of colluding with an eyewitness, he has to prove his own innocence. Generally, a conspiracy charge is followed by an insurance fraud charge. To protect your interests you can use:

• testimony of other witnesses;
• recordings from cameras, recorders;
• independent examination;
• with the help of lawyers.

It is better to join forces with a witness who may be charged with false testimony. The investigation into the causes of the accident will have to start anew and without the help of the police, and the case will have to be proven in court. It is difficult and expensive, and gives little chance. Therefore, it is necessary to do everything possible even at the stage of registering the accident to exclude such accusations. The more different evidence, the easier it is.

WORKING WITH EXPERTS AND SPECIALISTS

After the above-described important, but still only preparatory work, it is necessary to think about what specialists are needed to understand the road transport situation.

Interaction with medical professionals. If the driver is in poor health, these are doctors. They are needed both in order to more convincingly demand in court a reduction in punishment, and to identify diseases that could lead to the loss of consciousness of the accused at the time of the accident. Moreover, it is known that there are diseases, for example, of the thyroid gland, and even of a psychiatric nature, in which a person instantly loses consciousness, but does not remember it. Theoretically, the detection of such diseases should lead to acquittal, since loss of consciousness cannot be ruled out. But in practice, we are usually talking about a significantly more lenient punishment.

It is important to evaluate, with the help of a medical expert, the results of the examination of the driver and victims for intoxication, if they were positive. In the practice of the authors in the Moscow region, the following example took place. Due to the faulty design of the roadway guardrail, during a collision with a car, a metal element that came off the guardrail became the direct cause of the death of the defendant's passenger. The flawed design was confirmed by the conclusion of a design specialist. The female driver, in the cold, without outer clothing, with which she had covered her deceased friend, rushed over her corpse for about two hours before the arrival of the traffic police. And someone from the stopped transport treated her to tea and cognac. It seemed impossible to prove that she was sober at the time of the accident, and the truthful version of the trustee itself looked like a clumsy attempt to get out. Initially, the defense attorney strongly advised against insisting on it.

However, the lawyer drew attention to the strangeness in the tests of the defendant’s exhaled air for alcohol vapor. The second measurement, taken 20 minutes after the first, was significantly worse than the first, although it should always be the other way around or they should be equal.

The lawyer made the assumption that the process of alcohol absorption had not yet ended at the time of delivery for examination and continued at the time of examination. The specialist, a narcologist, confirmed the lawyer’s considerations in response to his request and calculated the dose and time of alcohol intake. The estimated time of intake made it possible to exclude alcohol consumption before the accident. For the sake of objectivity, it should be said that the court allegedly did not listen to the opinion of the doctor, as well as the opinion of the engineer, and did not indicate them in the verdict, but, nevertheless, sentenced the client to suspended imprisonment. Therefore, the verdict was not appealed. I believe that the leniency of the punishment was influenced by the conclusions of specialists - a narcologist and an engineer.

Interaction with specialist psychologists. It is important, with the help of a specialist, to establish the psycho-physiological cause of the accident. This reason is important and also requires proof. It’s one thing for a driver to fall asleep and drive into oncoming traffic, another for a reckless driver.

Compensation for moral damage if several drivers are found to be at fault

In the recent Review of judicial practice of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation No. 2 (2015), approved by the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on June 26, 2015 (hereinafter referred to as the Review), it is explained that moral damage caused by the criminal actions of several persons is subject to compensation in shares, taking into account the degree of guilt of each.

The Presidium included in the Review the ruling of the Judicial Collegium of the RF Armed Forces in case No. 50-UD14-9s6. As follows from the materials of this case, P., while driving a car, overtaking a passing bus in violation of traffic rules, drove into the lane of oncoming traffic and began to follow it in conditions of limited visibility, and therefore was unable to detect the Toyota Corolla car in a timely manner under the control of driver M., who was moving in the opposite direction along his lane, significantly exceeding the speed limit allowed in populated areas, and collided with him. As a result of the accident, the driver of the Toyota-Cogolla M. car received serious injury, and the passenger of the same car died.

The courts found both drivers guilty and convicted them under Part 3 of Art. 264 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. It was also decided to collect 120,053 rubles from the convicted persons jointly and severally in compensation for material damage. and in compensation for moral damage 600 thousand rubles. The appellate court increased the amount of compensation to 1 million rubles. The Judicial Collegium for Criminal Cases of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation changed the verdict in terms of compensation for moral damage. The Supreme Court noted that, according to the meaning of the law (Article 151 and paragraph 2 of Article 1101 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation), in the event of moral damage caused by the criminal actions of several persons, it is subject to compensation on a shared basis, taking into account the degree of guilt of each. Since it was established in the case that violations of traffic rules were committed by both convicts and in relation to each of them the court established the presence of mitigating circumstances and the absence of aggravating ones, the same punishment was imposed, the degree of guilt of each of the convicts is equal. In this connection, they must compensate for the moral damage caused by the crime in equal shares. It was decided to collect 500 thousand rubles in compensation for moral damage on a shared basis from those convicted in favor of the victim. from everyone.

Therefore, the conclusion of a specialist psychologist that, according to his personality characteristics, the accused is not prone to risk, recklessness, and the cause of the accident is a lack of attention, associated, for example, with hypertension, is important evidence.

The traffic rules do not indicate that the driver is obliged to expect violations of the rules by other road users, including pedestrians. That is why the Rules do not say that “the driver is obliged to detect the danger.” The rules only talk about dangers “that the driver is able to detect” (clause 10.1). This formulation of the traffic rules indicates to the law enforcement officer the fact that this assessment (“was able” - “was not able”) is always a very subjective category. It is directly tied to the driver’s personality. Thus, you cannot cut everyone with the same brush. One driver is able to detect, but the other is not. Therefore, research into the driver's personality is often necessary. In addition, a specialist psychologist, examining the situation at the scene of an accident, can completely exclude the possibility of any driver detecting danger.

This is what happened in the criminal case, which was heard in the Golovinsky Court of Moscow. Professor V. Barabanshchikov from the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, brought in by the defense, showed the court that the human eye and brain are not capable of detecting a person in gray clothes in a specific place on the roadway behind a bright flashing billboard. These specialist conclusions, together with other exculpatory evidence, led to the acquittal of our client.

Other necessary protection actions. It is clear that the defender is obliged to request the appointment of examinations on all of his expert opinions, but practice shows that such requests are rarely granted. It makes sense to appeal refusals.

It is necessary to try to collect information about the health of other road users and victims. However, a direct request from a lawyer to a medical institution will not be executed due to medical confidentiality, and the investigator will most likely refuse such a request. Therefore, a private detective may be required in a traffic accident case. They have their own methods and a lawyer is not obliged to check the legality of their activities.

The authors had to involve a private detective more than once.

For example, in a case involving a fire in a very expensive car, the detective brought important testimony from the employees of the car repair shop where the car was repaired. More often, the detective looks for eyewitnesses of the incident, since the evidence of those involved in the accident is usually contradictory.

The detective will collect information about possible antisocial behavior of the victims. These may include alcohol and drug abusers. Even if the victim has not been tested for alcohol, such information about his identity may affect the punishment of the defendant within the framework of judicial discretion.

By the time investigative examinations are ordered (or at least by the time they become familiar with their results), it is advisable for the defense lawyer to have in hand the conclusions of specialists on the same subject.

If you are a witness to an accident

The Code of Administrative Offenses states that a witness to an accident must be warned of liability for false testimony, and for refusal or evasion to report information known to him, he must be punished. So, an eyewitness to an accident should act like this:

1. Write down/remember the model, color and number, number of passengers in the car in which the offender (the culprit of the accident) fled.
2. Provide assistance to the victims.
3. Call the Ministry of Emergency Situations (police and ambulance) and tell about what happened, give the exact address, the number of victims and participants in the accident.
4. Try to prevent conflict between participants in an accident.
5. Give evidence to the traffic police inspector.
6. Participate in the construction of an incident diagram.
7. Confirm testimony in court.

First actions in case of an accident for an eyewitness

If you witness an accident, the first thing you need to do is stop and check the condition of the victims. Assess the situation and report the incident to the traffic police department, or by calling the Ministry of Emergency Situations - 101, 010 from a mobile phone.

You will need to accurately provide the following information:

1. Exact location of the accident. At what kilometer did it happen, what highway, what direction. If the accident occurred in the city, then be sure to indicate which street, which intersection, which house is nearby. The closest landmarks can be reported. Use accessible terms: on the roadway, in a ditch, in the forest, on the sidewalk. Damaged cars may not be visible from the road if they fell into a ditch and overturned.
2. The exact number of vehicles affected and their type. Be sure to inform the duty officer which vehicles were damaged: cars, trucks, rangefinders, buses, etc.
3. Number of people affected. It is especially important to note whether there are children among them, since in some cities, if it is necessary to resuscitate children, they send a special children's ambulance, which arrives faster than a regular one.
4. Your last name, first name, and contact phone number.

After you have reported the incident, do not leave the scene of the accident, wait for help. The traffic police sends crews in order of priority - if there are wounded or living victims, they go there first. Last but not least, go to accident sites where there are casualties that cannot be helped. Also, priority can be determined for an accident without casualties, however, which occurred on a significant section of the roadway, which depends on the time of day and the density of traffic flow.

When accepting an application, the traffic police inspector immediately calls the services that are necessary in the given circumstances. However, you can duplicate the call to the ambulance and fire department with your own call, providing all the same data as to the traffic police.

Until the arrival of road patrol workers, rescuers and doctors, it is necessary to remain on the spot and provide first aid to the victims. According to statistics, every year in Russia about 300 thousand people suffer in road accidents, 30 of whom die immediately on the spot or due to failure to provide first aid.

The importance of providing first aid to victims is difficult to overestimate. Human life is priceless, by definition. But often witnesses to emergency situations cannot help, not because they do not want to, but because they do not know what to do and how to alleviate the condition before the doctors arrive.

Taking measures to preserve the life of the victim until medical help arrives is the direct responsibility of the driver who caused the accident. If this is physically impossible, then assistance must be provided by an eyewitness.

Where to look for witnesses to the accident?

If you get into an accident, first of all it is necessary to assess the current situation, especially with regard to whether the victims received injuries that threaten their life and health. If anyone involved in an accident requires emergency medical care, then this is the first thing you need to pay attention to and take appropriate action.

If nothing threatens the life and health of the participants in the accident, you should immediately begin searching for eyewitnesses of the accident.

Witnesses to an accident may include:

• pedestrians moving on sidewalks or crossing the road;
• other drivers driving behind, oncoming, or crossing the intersection;
• employees of stores, offices and other institutions located in close proximity to the accident site.

An eyewitness is any person who may have seen or heard the accident. In addition, if the culprit fled the scene of the accident, it is recommended to independently ask the people nearby if they remember the registration number of the vehicle that drove away. Subsequently, this information from witnesses to the accident will simplify the task of law enforcement agencies in identifying the driver.