Learning About Legal JargonLearning About Legal Jargon

Due to a lack of experience and distractions like music, passengers, and texting, teenagers have a high risk of getting into an accident. In fact auto accidents are the leading cause of death among teen drivers in Canada, and thousands more are injured each year.

So it's important not only to prepare your teen for a safe driving experience, but you'll also want to prepare them in case they do get into an accident – this helps ensure that your lawyer has the information needed to represent your child whether they're filing a personal injury claim or being sued by the other party.

Here's how to put together an accident prep pack your teen can use to ensure that nothing important is overlooked when evidence and information is being gathered at the scene:

Some Visual Tools

When possible, it's important to get visual evidence of the scene at the time of the accident, because it helps to tell the story of how it happened and which party was at fault. However, taking photos of the scene isn't something your teen is likely to think about right after an accident, so make it easy on them by incorporating a disposable camera into the prep pack along with a set of basic directions of what to photo including:

• The damage done to both vehicles.
• Any indentifying street marks and signs near the accident location.
• Visually apparent personal injuries.

It's also a good idea to encourage snapping photos of the other party's insurance and registration cards to ensure all the information needed to contact them or their insurance company is captured.

Contact Information

In the heat of the moment your teen will more than likely be panicked after an accident, so putting together a contact information sheet to put in the prep pack will give them a point of references to get the support they need as they gather information at the scene. The contact sheet should of course include your phone number first, along with that of your insurance company and even your lawyer. Include a small set of directions so your teen knows what information they'll need to give others during a potential phone call.

Pre-Printed Paperwork

Your teen should talk to the other party involved in the accident as well as any bystanders that witnessed the incidence, but it isn't going to be an easy task to remember all the questions that should be asked during the conversations. To make the process of gathering pertinent information a snap for your teen, have your lawyer put together a form that the other party and the witnesses can simply fill out and give back to your teen or mail to you. This form should include room to provide the following information:

• Names, addresses, and phone numbers.
• Personal insight and opinions into what was seen when the accident happened.
• Date and time the form is filled out if not at the time of the accident.

It's also important to make sure that the form that the other party involved in the accident should fill out also includes space to provide insurance information.

A To-Do Checklist

Include an overall to-do checklist in the prep pack. This will allow your teen to focus on just one step at a time without confusion by following the checklist's outline. Everything on the checklist should be actionable. Here's an example:

• Call the police.
• Call parents.
• Trade insurance and registration information.
• Take photos.
• Pass out pre-printed paperwork and retrieve them filled out.

Include every step you want your teen to take, even things such as taking the keys out of the ignition and putting them in the prep pack for safe keeping.

Use a small portable fireproof safe as the prep pack and keep it in the trunk or under a seat so it can be easily accessed in a variety of situations. 

Your lawyers and insurance company adjusters will then be able to take care of most of the rest.