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If you are involved in a car accident, there may be some legal obligations to attend to before leaving the scene.

Accidents must be reported to the police if anyone is injured or dies. The police have wide powers to get information about car accidents.

If you cause an accident you are also responsible for any damages.

You should get legal advice when someone makes a claim against you, or if you want to make a claim against someone else for damage to your property.

If you do not know the name of the other person involved in an accident but you have their car registration number, you can find the owner’s details by searching the Department of Transport and Main Road’s Queensland Motor Vehicle register.

There are time limits for making a claim for motor vehicle property damage.

If you are involved in a car accident, you may also be charged with a traffic offence.

If you are seeking compensation for a personal injury that occurred as a result of a car accident, you may be eligible for assistance through the Civil Law Legal Aid Scheme.

 

Leaving the scene of an accident

If you are involved in a traffic accident you must stop and give your name and address to the other person involved. If the vehicle is unoccupied you can leave your details for the owner. If there is any damage to vehicles or people involved, you should report it to the police.

If someone is injured, you must remain at the accident scene and help until the appropriate authorities arrive (e.g. police, ambulance etc.)—unless—you are getting medical or other help for yourself or other people involved.

Car accidents must be reported to the police if there is any damage to vehicles or other property or if anyone is injured or dies. If the police come to the accident scene, they may test any drivers involved for drugs or alcohol and ask you questions about what happened.

 

Talking to the police

The police have wide powers to get information about traffic accidents.

If you have been involved in a traffic accident, you must give the police any information that will help identify:

  • the vehicle’s owner.
  • the person in possession of the vehicle.
  • the vehicle’s registered owner.
  • the identity of anyone who can give the police the above information.

The police can also ask for information about any vehicle, person, animal or property involved in the accident or how the accident happened. This may include witnesses or passengers or other people not involved in the accident.

It is a criminal offence not to give this information to the police, or to give false information about a traffic accident.

 

Insurance and car accidents

If you have a car insurance policy, you should let your insurer know about the accident as soon as possible. This is a requirement of most insurance policies.

It is a good idea to report any accident to your insurer even if you decide not to make a claim against your insurance, because the other driver may decide to make a claim against you. Even if you know the other driver is not going to make a claim you still have a duty of disclosure to report it to your insurer.

There are different types of insurance:

  • Third party property insurance covers you for damage to other people’s vehicles and property. This is different to Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance.
  • Comprehensive insurance covers damage to your vehicle as well as other people’s vehicles and property.

Your insurance policy will set out what you are covered for.

If you have a dispute with an insurance company, get legal advice.

 

When someone makes a claim against you

If another person thinks you were responsible for the accident (liable), they might make a claim against you for any damage to their vehicle or property.

They may sometimes send you a letter of demand asking you to pay for the damage caused by the accident.

If you are insured, you can pass this letter onto your insurer. Most insurance policies have an excess, which means you have to pay the amount of the excess before the insurance company will accept the claim.

If you are not insured and you receive a letter of demand get legal advice about whether you are fully or partially responsible for the accident (this is called liability). Liability can be shared between more than one person (e.g. both you and the other driver might be at fault).

You can ask for evidence of the amount of damage being claimed against you (e.g. quotes or valuations). This is called quantum.

When you have all the information you should negotiate with the other person or their insurance company.

If you have damage to your own car from the accident and the other driver is partially responsible, you may be able to make a claim against them for the damage to your car (a counter claim).

If you cannot reach an agreement you may have to go to Court.

For claims less than $25,000 you can go to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT). For claims over $25,000, you can go to the State Civil Courts.

 

Making a claim against someone else

If you think someone else is responsible (liable) for the accident, you can make a claim against them for any damage to your vehicle or property.

If your car can be repaired, you should get a written quote from qualified repairers for both labour and parts to repair the vehicle. It is advisable to get more than one quote to prove that the amount you are asking for is reasonable.

If it cannot be repaired or the cost to repair the vehicle is more than the vehicle is worth (write off), you should get 2 written valuations from car yards, qualified panel beaters or other expert valuers (e.g. car clubs such as Redbook or Glass Guide) for the car’s pre-accident value.

If the car can be repaired, you can claim:

  • the lowest quote for repairs; and
  • any other necessary costs (eg towing).

If the car is written off, you can claim:

  • the lowest reasonable valuation for the pre-accident value less the salvage value (i.e. value of the wreck); and
  • any other necessary costs (e.g. towing).

To make a claim, you should send a letter of demand with copies of quotes or valuations to the driver of the other vehicle and to their insurer asking for payment within a fixed time period (e.g. 14 days). If the owner and the driver are not the same person, in limited circumstances the owner may be liable as well as the driver, and a separate letter should be sent to each person. If you are unsure about whether the owner is liable get legal advice.

If the other person does not pay the amount owing within the time specified in the letter of demand—or they do not respond—then you can take action in the State Civil Courts (for claims over $25,000), or in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) (for claims $25,000 or less). The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) may be able to help if you have a dispute with another person’s insurance company about motor vehicle property damage.

 

Finding out who owns the vehicle

If you do not know the vehicle owner’s name, but you have the registration number, you can find the owner’s details by requesting a Queensland Motor Vehicle Register search.

The information requested must be about the vehicle/s involved in the incident or accident.

To make an application you must supply 1 or more of the following:

  • a police traffic accident report (only if the police investigated the accident).
  • a written permission from the registered operator.
  • an official request on letterhead from your insurance company, solicitor or lawyer supporting the vehicle incident or accident report.
  • a statutory declaration describing the off-road incident and property damage, with a copy of any available witness statements.
  • a statutory declaration describing the incident, with a repair quote.

 

Time limits

You have 6 years to make a claim for motor vehicle property damage. To ensure the best outcome you should make a claim as soon as is possible.

 

Disclaimer: The material presented on this website is an information source only. The information on this website is written for people resident in, or affected by the laws of Queensland, Australia only. Links to other sites from this website are provided for the users’ convenience. The LGBTI Legal Service does not endorse these sites and is not responsible for the information on these sites or the use made of this information. If you have a specific legal problem, you should consult a professional legal advisor.

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