what information of mine will they ask for?

Al44 · 4 October 2017 at 4:52PM

I recently witnessed a car accident and feel bad for the victim as it wasn't their fault. a crazy driver who wasn't paying attention to the road crashed into the back of them. I gave my phone number to the victim and want to help him.

I just wondered if anyone has ever acted as a witness in a similar situation?
what will be asked of me? e.g with they ask for things like my national insurance number and address etc?

and will I be expected to go physically go into court to give evidence?

no one was seriously hurt or anything but the victim ended up with a badly damaged car

Warwick_Hunt · 4 October 2017 at 5:09PM

Al44 wrote: »

I recently witnessed a car accident and feel bad for the victim as it wasn't their fault. a crazy driver who wasn't paying attention to the road crashed into the back of them. I gave my phone number to the victim and want to help him.

I just wondered if anyone has ever acted as a witness in a similar situation?
what will be asked of me? They will want to obtain an account from you and possibly a written statement. e.g with they ask for things like my national insurance number No.and address etc? Yes.

and will I be expected to go physically go into court to give evidence? You may well be asked to attend.

no one was seriously hurt or anything but the victim ended up with a badly damaged car

..........

Car_54 · 4 October 2017 at 5:14PM

When I had a similar experience, I got a letter from the victim's insurer a few eeks afterwards asking me to complete a statement - basically a straightforward account of what I saw. They're looking for facts, not your opinion of who's to blame.

Obviously they'll have to 'phone you to get your name and address. I can't see any reason why they'd need your NI number, inside leg measurement, etc!

It's extremely unusual for these things to end up in court, especially if it's as clear-cut as you've described.

Quentin · 4 October 2017 at 5:15PM

Assuming you are not a psychiatrist (or if you are you didn't examine the driver), then don't comment on the driver's mental state, or assert who was to blame!

A witness is just that - you saw what happened, nothing else you add will help the driver you call the "victim"

ElefantEd · 4 October 2017 at 5:38PM

Also - write down what you saw and heard as soon as possible ie now, in readiness. Your memory will fade and become distorted over time.

what information of mine will they ask for?

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free