Should I Apologize After a Car Accident?

Posted in Car Accidents on March 17, 2023

Everyone reacts differently to a vehicle accident and during the immediate aftermath of the incident. Crashes are scary, and individuals who typically react calmly and measured may be nervous. The nervousness and adrenaline could lead to individuals simply needing to talk to others at the scene, but the discussions must be measured and limited. Under no circumstances should you apologize after a vehicle accident, even if you are sure you caused the crash. Here, we want to discuss why apologizing after a crash can be devastating to any claim you may have.

Apologizing – The Vehicle Accident Faux Pas

“I am so sorry!”

“I didn’t see you there.”

“I can’t believe I did that.”

These are just three of the multitude of ways individuals could intentionally or accidentally accept blame after a car accident occurs. One of the biggest mistakes an individual can make after a car accident is to accept blame in any way. 

When one party accepts blame at the scene of the incident, this significantly shifts the way the whole crash is seen by every party involved. Even law enforcement officials, who are supposed to be impartial and conduct an unbiased investigation, will be thrown off by one party accepting fault or apologizing. This could skew the accident report and leave out valuable facts that would otherwise have been spotted.

Unfortunately, apologizing or seeming to apologize in any way could result in financial chaos for the person who apologized.

The best thing that you or a loved one can do after an accident occurs is to remain calm and exchange information with other parties at the scene. This includes contact information and vehicle insurance information. 

There May be Things You Don’t Know

One of the main reasons we recommend not apologizing at the scene of the incident, even if you are convinced you caused the crash, is that there are other factors that you may not be aware of. There could be something else that contributed to the incident, which is why every aspect of the crash must be investigated.

Georgia operates under a modified comparative negligence system. This means that individuals can recover compensation if they are partially responsible for causing the crash. It is not uncommon for there to be two or more drivers responsible for causing a collision, though one driver may not know about the other driver’s negligence in the immediate aftermath of an incident.

Suppose you proceed through a stop sign after slowing down because you did not think anyone else was coming, but end up pulling right out in front of another vehicle and causing an accident. You may be tempted to apologize in this scenario because you knew that you did not come to a complete stop. However, what if the other driver was operating while distracted by their phones and failed to yield the right of way or was driving too fast for conditions?

In this type of scenario, and many other scenarios, fault is not as clear as initially thought. The modified comparative negligence system should be used to apportion compensation to various parties depending on their percentage of fault for the incident.

Never apologize at the scene of a crash. Follow your legal requirements after a crash occurs, and then contact a skilled car accident attorney in Atlanta who can help you with your next steps.