{"id":1114,"date":"2021-09-14T11:23:52","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T11:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pacificwestinjury.com\/?p=1114"},"modified":"2023-11-15T14:11:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T22:11:17","slug":"common-questions-to-ask-a-car-accident-witness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pacificwestinjury.com\/blog\/traffic-accident-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Questions to Ask a Car Accident Witness"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to proving liability in a car accident case, witnesses to the accident are a powerful tool. If there were witnesses to your accident, you will hopefully have the opportunity to obtain their contact information from either the scene or from the accident report. Your attorney will ask the witness a number of questions to help the insurance adjuster or the court to understand exactly how the accident occurred.<\/p>\n

The attorney will often remind the witness in the phrasing of the questions to use their own words when answering to avoid the witness simply parroting the details that were included in the police report. Here is a list of seven questions that will be asked of your witnesses and the reason why those questions are important.<\/p>\n

1. How did the Accident Occur?<\/h2>\n

This question will often be phrased in an open-ended manner to allow the witness the greatest opportunity to provide their own observations of the accident and the details that are most clear in their mind. Often, the response to this initial question will provide a map of follow-up questions that are necessary in order to fill in gaps in the story.<\/p>\n

2. What Was Your First Indication that an Accident Was About to Occur?<\/h2>\n

This question is important because it shows where the witness began paying attention to the details of the accident. If the witness’ first inclination that an accident had occurred was the sound of the impact, then they likely won’t be able to provide an accurate accounting of the actions of either party that led to the accident.<\/p>\n

3. Where Were You in Relation to the Accident?<\/h2>\n

Witnesses will be able to provide different details as to how the accident occurred from different vantage points. Your attorney will want to establish how close the witness was when the accident occurred, as this will inform the type of details they can provide.\u00a0 A witness who observed the accident that occurred just feet from where they were standing or sitting in their car will understandably have more detailed observations than someone who was a quarter-mile away when the accident occurred.<\/p>\n

4. Can You Provide More Details About How the Accident Occurred?<\/h2>\n

Your attorney will press witnesses for more details as showing the actions that the at-fault party took is at the crux of proving your claim. Some common follow-up questions that will be used to solicit more details include:<\/p>\n