SO YOU’RE IN A CRASH; WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Whether it’s a fender-bender or multi-car pileup, police often have plenty of investigative work to do before the road can be cleared. Roughly 270,000 crashes are reported to the ICBC each year, 55,000 involving an injury or fatality. When police are called — particularly for severe injury or death — investigations can be lengthy. Investigators are trained to quickly assess whether a crash was caused by impaired driving, medical condition or mechanical failure, but it can take additional time to gather information depending on the circumstances, said Const. Melissa Wutke of RCMP E-Division traffic services. “Police must determine the reason for the crash or contributing factors … taking into account the weather, condition of the road and other factors present,” she said. Sgt. Sukh Sidhu of the Delta police department’s traffic section said the process following a minor collision typically goes as follows:

Officers ensure the area is

■ safe for drivers, passengers, pedestrians and first responders, often by rerouting traffic, then confirm anyone injured is being attended to by first responders.

Police then take statements ■ from everyone involved as well as witnesses. They then collect smartphone and dashcam footage and identify potential sources of security footage nearby.

They then conduct a

■ thorough investigation of the scene and complete an MV6020 report (for crashes involving injury, fatality, vehicle damage over $1,000 or property damage).

Vehicles are moved or

■ towed and officers ensure everyone involved has a safe way home. The tow-truck driver typically cleans up any debris and firefighters may wash down fuel or oil.

The ICBC asks drivers to record each others’ names, licence and contact information, licence plate details, and the year, make and model of vehicles as well as the contact information of witnesses. They can then report a claim at icbc.com or call 604-5208222 or 1-800-910-4222.