What is necessary in order to be prepared for the meeting?
You need to understand the kinds of questions that an ICBC adjuster investigating a personal injury claim will be asking you. These will generally include:
- Did you see the other vehicle braking?
- How much time did you have to break?
- How far away from the intersection were you when the light turned yellow?
- Did you notice that the ground was wet from an earlier rainfall?
- When did the other vehicle signal a turn?
- How many seconds before the accident did this occur?
There are many things that you can do to help prepare for questions like these – whether or not you were at fault. Although it may be emotionally difficult, returning to the scene (sooner rather than later) of the accident can help you recall some of the details. Look for the following:
- Any indications that an accident took place
- Damage to any public or private property
- The length of various distances in the area
- The speed that you were traveling at in your car (it may be a good idea to have someone else drive for you so you can just observe and make notes)
You should only collect the contact information of the witnesses. Any discussion with witnesses should occur between a private investigator, lawyer, or some other third party who was not involved in the accident. You must rely on your own memory of the events and not be influenced by the recollection of others.
Contact our personal injury lawyers to get you through this difficult process. You’ll be glad that you did.