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What to do when there’s no witness to your accident

When claiming for an accident that wasn’t your fault having independent witnesses will strengthen your case. You should try to get the contact details of witnesses if you can. However, this might not always be possible. If there is a lack of witnesses, all is not lost. This is what you need to do when no one saw your accident.

Ensure your own safety

The first and most important thing you can do is ensure you are in no further danger. If in doubt remove yourself from the situation and seek medical assistance if required.

Take photos

You should seek to take as many photographs as you can. Take photos of what caused your injury. For example, the wet floor you slipped on or the ladder you fell from. It would be best practice to take multiple photos from various angles and distances. Try to get an angle that clearly shows where you are if you’re in a property or a public street. If your property is damaged in the accident, take photos of that too. Common examples of damaged property would include ripped clothing and vehicle damage. Finally, ensure you get photos of your injuries both immediately and as they develop over the next few days.

Take notes

Make a written record in as much detail as possible of the circumstances surrounding your accident. There’s no such thing as too much detail but be sure to include dates, times and locations. Take a note of the location of security or CCTV cameras that might have caught your accident.

Report the accident

Report your accident to the person responsible for where the accident occurred. For example, an employee of the shop that you’re in. In most instances, the party responsible will be legally obliged under RIDDOR to complete an accident report form. If the employee does not, write a letter or email to the business’ detailing what happened. If you were involved in a road accident, you are likely required by your insurance policy to report the accident to your insurer even if you were not at fault.

Medical treatment

Assuming you were not injured enough to require a hospital visit immediately after the accident, you should now seek to see your GP. You should keep in mind that not all injuries are immediately obvious following an accident.

Contact a solicitor

If you want to pursue compensation for your injuries you should now contact a solicitor. By adhering to the above advice you should have strengthened your own case and perhaps sped up the process. Your solicitor will now analyse the information and have you examined by a medical consultant. By doing this, your solicitor should be able to place a rough value on your claim.


If you had an accident that wasn’t your fault we may be able to help. Learn more about our services or contact us for a free no obligation enquiry.

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