Whether you commute every day or only drive occasionally, you have some risk of being in an automobile collision every time you get into a car. In fact, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, roughly 300,000 car crashes happened in the Buckeye State in 2017.
With approximately 820 automobile collisions occurring every day, you may eventually have to contend with one. If you want to pursue compensation from the driver or drivers who caused the crash, though, you must think carefully about what you say at the accident scene. Apologizing may make your case more difficult.
You are not an accident expert
As you probably know, automobile collisions occur for a variety of reasons. While you may have a working theory about why the crash happened, you are not an accident expert. If you prematurely apologize for an accident you may not have caused, you may also inadvertently assume responsibility for all injuries and property damage. As such, it is often better to wait for an independent analysis of the crash site.
You do not own anyone’s inconvenience
There is a sort of social contract that comes with driving on Ohio’s many roadways. When you climb behind the wheel, you must do what you can to avoid an automobile collision. You are not, though, responsible for everything that occurs on the road. Simply put, accidents happen. While you may feel bad about the inconvenience of a collision, you do not need to apologize. If you do, someone may think you are taking responsibility for the collision instead of merely extending sympathy for its inconvenience.
If you drive responsibly, you may never find yourself in the middle of an automobile accident. If you do, though, you must remember that what you say matters. You do not want someone to blame you for a collision you did not cause. As such, you probably want to think twice before saying you are sorry for the accident.
