Valuable tips in times of accident

“It seems as if almost every day there is some kind of accident, at least in Windhoek,” says Service Manager of FNB Insurance Brokers Kim Brown and adds: “This is never a nice situation to be in and mostly due to shock many people neglect to jot down the necessary details required after an accident, which could be terrible, especially when travelling outside of your hometown, in an unfamiliar place.
“It is important to know that there are a few things you can do straight after an accident to improve your chances of success in court, should the matter end up there. Making notes of the small ­details - the things that you would not normally give much thought to - can go a long way in ensuring a positive outcome for yourself,” advises Brown.
Once the accident has happened you should aim to obtain as much information as possible about the other party involved. This includes all their personal details: their name and surname, their address, contact details and ID number. “Where possible don’t feel shy to use your phone to take a photograph of the other party’s ID ­document,” says Brown. “If there were witnesses to the accident – jot down their details as well; this ­includes passengers in either your vehicle or the other vehicle, as they may be required to give a statement of what occurred.”
Once you’ve written down all the details of the people involved – your next step should be to write down all the details of the other vehicle; this includes the make, model, colour and registra­tion number of any of the vehicles involved in the accident. “You may also take down the condition of the vehicle involved in the accident with you - did the indicators, brake and head lights of the other vehicle work directly before the accident?” says Brown.
The scene of the accident is also important to note, so you should make detailed notes of the scene of the accident, this includes the correct spelling of the street names, was the intersection controlled by a traffic light and if so, whether there were any flashing arrows giving certain lanes right of way. Furthermore, if you are in an area that looks unsafe, or perhaps you feel intimidated and ­uncomfortable spend­ing time there, remember that you can use your phone to take a photo of the intersection or the area where the accident happened.
Brown added that it was also recommendable to make a note of the weather conditions at the time of the accident as well as the surface of the road - was it dry, wet, or slippery, and was the road in good condition, or were there potholes and ridges and were the painted lines on the road clearly visible?
“Finally, if the police did not attend the scene of the accident, you must report the accident within 24 hours at a police station nearest to the place where the accident occurred and if you’ve written as much detail as you can, soon after the accident - this should help you greatly. While hopefully many of accidents in Namibia are solved amicably unfortunately sometimes they do end up in court and court cases as we all know can take years, so it is best to have as much information as possible at your fingertips,” concludes Brown.