Motor Vehicle Accidents
What is a motor vehicle accident ?
RSA 259:1-a Accident: "Accident" shall mean any event that results in injury or property damage attributable directly or indirectly to the motion of a motor vehicle or its load.
What should you do if you are involved in an accident ?
Remain Calm! make sure that you and any occupant of your vehicle is safe and uninjured, then check on the condition of the occupant (s) of any other vehicle that may have been involved.
If possible, leave your vehicle at the point where it came to rest, moving it may be unsafe and could hinder the investigation which may be conducted by the police.
Contact (or have someone who is able to call) the Police and Fire Departments as well as the Ambulance service if there are injured persons.
Obtain the driver's license and registration information from the owner of any other vehicle involved, or the owner of any other property damaged as a result of the accident. If you are unable to at the time of the accident, you MUST report it immediately to the nearest Police Station/Police Officer so that they can file the appropriate report. The responsibility for reporting the accident is with the parties involved.
How does the accident get reported to the DMV?
RSA 264:25 states that ..."any person driving a vehicle which is in any manner involved in an accident, or any person who owns a vehicle which was illegally parked when it was involved in an accident shall within 15 days after such accident report in writing to the division...if ay person is injured or killed, or if damage to property s in excess of $1000.00, unless (emphasis added) the accident is investigated by a Police Officer, in which case a report filed by such officer shall satisfy the requirements of this section..."
If you have been involved in an accident and you do not have insurance, you must prepare a "Blue Insurance Card" which will need to be sent to the DMV. If you were involved in an accident where you and the other party involved simply exchanged paperwork, then later found that the damage exceeds $1000.00 or the other party was injured, you will need to pick up an "uninvestigated accident report" at the Merrimack Police Station. This report will need to be completed by you and mailed to the DMV.
If you should have any questions regarding the procedures, simply contact any member of the Patrol or Administrative Services Division. We will be glad to assist you !
What to do at an Accident Checklist
- Call the Police. Eve if the accident appears to be minor, it is extremely important to call the police immediately in order to file a report. Wait for the police to arrive at the scene, unless it is simply impossible to do so. If you cannot wait for the police to arrive at the scene make sure you speak to the police as soon as possible following the accident.
- Call for an ambulance. Call for medical assistance for yourself, passengers or anyone else injured at the scene.
- Get information from the other driver. Exchanging information with the other driver is important. Try to obtain as much information as possible, within reason, about the other driver as well as any other passengers who might be in the other driver’s vehicle. Most importantly you need the name, address, and phone number of the other driver as well as the license plate/registration number for the other driver’s vehicle and the state that the license plate is registered. If there are any witnesses to the accident, get their names, phone numbers and addresses as well.
- Document all injuries. Often times, very serious injuries are not experienced immediately after the accident. Make a detailed list of all injuries and pain you and other passengers are experiencing, even if it seems to be minor at the time.
- Photograph the scene. Take pictures of the accident scene, if you can do so safely. If possible, take photos from multiple angles and locations. Be sure to photograph:
- Vehicle damage
- Injured drivers/passengers
- Skid marks on the roadway
- The road or intersection where the accident occurred
- Lights or stop signs at the location of the accident
- Cooperate with the police, but speak with an attorney before accepting responsibility for the accident. Avoid speaking with anyone, other than police, about your car accident. You are not under any obligation to accept responsibility for the accident. Nor is there a need to blame others for the accident.
- Do not leave the scene of the accident. It is important to remain at the accident scene, unless you are being transported to the emergency room by ambulance, until all other drivers and police have left.
- Notify your insurance company. You should report the accident to your insurance company as soon as you reasonably can after the accident. You are not under an obligation to contact your insurance company immediately; in other words you are not obligated to contact your insurance company from the scene, or from the hospital or even within the first day or two after the accident. Typically an insurance policy simply provides that you give them notice of the accident as soon as possible after the accident.
- You may consider contacting an attorney following a car accident. Take this into consideration depending on the circumstances of your accident, injuries and property damages of your accident.