HOW TO: Respond if you are in a Vehicle Accident

Summary:

Notice: As of 1/25/2021, the content below is outdated. Please refer to the Risk Services website.

If you are involved in a vehicle accident while driving on University business, help those affected, provide and collect information, but do not accept liability.

If a UCI employee is injured in an accident please report it to Workers’ Compensation.

What you should do How you should do it
1 Be calm, render or obtain aid as needed.
  1. Assess or ask whether any individual requires medical assistance.
  2. Provide first-aid if required.
2 Call police and emergency personnel if there is any possibility of personal injuries or significant damage.
  1. Dial 911
3 Collect as much information as possible, complete the Vehicle Accident Report form.
  1. Complete the Vehicle Accident Report form, located in the glove compartment of University owned vehicles, and be sure to record the following information:
    • names of the other drivers involved
    • names of the owners of each vehicle (they may be different from the drivers’)
    • license number of each vehicle
    • insurance company name and address for each vehicle
    • witnesses’ names and addresses (if any)
    • try to obtain brief written statements about what the witnesses saw
    • the case number, the officer’s name, badge #, and department name if Police attended the scene.
  2. If you have a camera, take photos of the accident scene, the damage to your vehicle and the other vehicle(s).
  3. If someone is injured, or if property has been damaged, record as much as possible about the injuries or damage.
4 Provide to Police and other parties the information on the Evidence of Insurance document located in the glove compartment of the vehicle.
  1. The Evidence of Insurance document issued for all University vehicles identifies the vehicle and states that the vehicle is covered under the University of California Self-Insurance Program (BUS-75).
  2. If police or other parties have questions about the insurance coverage, refer them to Risk Management. Never advise anyone that the University will pay for his or her injury or damaged property. Instead ask what you can do to help the person and refer them to Risk Management if they state that they want to make a claim.
5 Cooperate with police and rescue personnel.
  1. But:
    • Do Not sign any statements or make any determination of liability.
    • Do Not admit fault. These liability determinations can only be made after a complete investigation of the facts.
6 Report the accident.
  1. Call (800) 416-4029 and press '1'. Operators are available 24/7.
  2. See How to Report Vehicle Accidents/Damage.

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Notice: University policies supersede information in this document.

Author: Barbara Niemand   Last published: 2015-02-02