3 vehicle collision: not at fault

**iFly55** · 04-10-2012, 06:05 PM

i really don't know if i was involved or not, it all happened really fast

we came to an intersection the vehicles infront of me braked hard, my brakes (vehicle A) locked up.. i swerved away from vehicle B into a left turning lane

i heard a crash, and i saw vehicle B crash into vehicle C, vehicle C may have also went into another vehicle D... who advised he and his vehicle were okay, and left vehicle C his business card and left the scene

vehicle B had moderate damage to front bumper and vehicle C had minimal damage to back bumper

because of our close proximity i didn't know whether i was involved or not, my plastic front-license plate cover appeared to be cracked (not sure if from before), however no damage to rear bumper of vehicle B

passenger in vehicle B advised she had a heart murmour and had trouble breathing, and no one else had a cellphone... so i stayed and called 911 and 30s later we had 2 ambulance, 1 firetruck and 2 police cars surround the scene

i was told to wait at a nearby parking-lot, to allow traffic to flow through the left turning lane

there were two occupants in both B & C, they both had their cars towed and it looks like they all went on the ambulance

when i asked the police how passenger B was doing, they advised everyone was okay, and that there were barely any damage to warrant any injuries

i wasn't given any tickets, or a copy of the accident report, just given the accident report number and officer name & badge#, written on my insurance slip

the officer, i quote advised me, "i was not at fault"

what does this mean? and what should i do?

**Brian P** · 04-10-2012, 06:16 PM

Nothing, unless you are later on subpoena'ed as a witness. You weren't involved in the collision so there is no insurance claim, and you weren't charged with anything so there is nothing to worry about in that regard.

It's possible that at some later date, that your presence may be subpoena'ed in court as a witness to the collision, if someone takes their charge to court. If that happens, just be at the court at the time and date that they tell you to be there, do what the court tells you to do, and answer the questions that you are asked.

**iFly55** · 04-10-2012, 06:21 PM

thanks, i'll sit tight

**Platinum Cycle** · 04-10-2012, 08:18 PM

You may get a fire department bill in the mail, or your insurance company might get one without your knowledge.

It depends on a number of factors, but don't bet against them asking you to pay for some or all of the fire dept service, regardless of whether or not they appeared to do anything.

**VifferFun** · 04-11-2012, 08:34 PM

FYI, fault isn't determined by the police, but rather by the insurance companies by following the FSCO's Fault Determination Rules:

http://www.ibc.ca/en/car_insurance/d...tion-rules.pdf

**PLau** · 04-14-2012, 01:08 AM

Originally Posted by Platinum Cycle

You may get a fire department bill in the mail, or your insurance company might get one without your knowledge.

It depends on a number of factors, but don't bet against them asking you to pay for some or all of the fire dept service, regardless of whether or not they appeared to do anything.

Oh god another one of these fire department posts....

Wonder when Infernobuster is coming in...

**AF4iK** · 04-14-2012, 01:20 AM

So you were at the back of the pack and avoided the collision? Doesn't sound like you were involved at all so I'd move on with life accordingly.
If you successfully swerved around vehicle B then that crack in your plate frame must've already been there. But it sounds like you're somehow unsure if you made contact with vehicle B?

**Platinum Cycle** · 04-14-2012, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by PLau

Oh god another one of these fire department posts....

Wonder when Infernobuster is coming in...

Fire dept billing is a big issue with the Insurance Bureau of Canada these days, and for good reason.

**GYMPY** · 05-02-2012, 01:18 AM

Plantinum Cycle. You are saying you could and most likely will incurr the cost of calling the fire department ambulance etc. for a car or whatever accident. Boy, next time I will just walk away and say my phone has a dead battery in it and let someone else take the cost of the fire department. That could cost hundreds of dollars in cost. Nothing like driving away the help. I am not blaming the insurance industry on this one. If i did call, I would not give them my name or any infor. They might be able to trace my cell phone number and nail me that way, but best to take option one.