It could come back to haunt you if you go to court. “They may make an admission such as, ‘I didn’t see the stop sign,’” says Wickert. In the heat of the moment, either driver could admit to being at fault. Sometimes drivers are so shaken up or intimidated that they point the finger at themselves.

“There’s a natural instinct for drivers to ‘point fingers’ at each other as they exchange information,” says accident attorney Gary Wickert of Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer. While still at the scene of the accident, the drivers involved could decide. When it comes to deciding who’s to blame for a car accident, here are five methods and tips on how to navigate them: Method No. They likely kicked off a complicated and legalistic process involving feuding drivers, penny-pinching insurers, lots of lawyers and terms like “subrogation” and “pure contributory negligence.” What actually transpires, and how much money you receive, often depends on the state where it happened. About 4.8 million of the crashes had only property damage.īut it doesn’t mean that those 4.8 million accidents were painless. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says there were 6.7 million mishaps in 2018, the last year reported, with about 2.7 million people injured and over 36,000 deaths. It could be decided on the road where it happened, in a police report, by the auto insurance companies, in arbitration or in court by a jury.Īnd could happen to you. But who’s at fault? The result will be decided in different places. Let’s start with a bang: One vehicle hits another.

Car accident sketch