Police Investigation After you are in a car accident, call 911. A police officer will respond to the scene. If you, your passengers, or the other driver or their passengers do not have to be immediately transported to the hospital, the responding officer will speak to everyone involved in the crash. The officer will ask you questions. Questions that you may hear include where you were going at the time of the accident, if you ingested drugs or alcohol, what speed you were going, or if you remember seeing the other car involved before the accident. The officer will ask your passengers some questions about what they saw. The officer will have similar conversations with the other driver and their passengers. The officer will also observe the accident scene. They might take pictures. The officer will look for vehicle damage, tire marks on the road, damage to vegetation, and street signs or streetlights. The officer will also look at your injuries and your passenger’s injuries. They will check the other driver and their passengers for injuries as well. After the officer gets all the information, they will complete their accident report. The report will include both drivers' and each passenger's narratives of what happened. The report will also include the officer's summary of their findings. The police report will include the officer's initial determination of fault, and perhaps what caused the crash. Although the officer will decide who they think is at fault, the responding officer’s report is not the final word on fault. Each driver must report the crash to their insurance company, and the insurance company will decide fault. Insurance Company Investigation Each driver must report the accident to their insurance company. The insurance company will conduct an independent investigation. During the investigation, the other driver’s insurance company might contact you. Hire legal counsel before speaking with an opposing party’s insurance company. Contact a car accident lawyer if you start to get letters or phone calls from another driver’s insurance company. After the investigation is complete, the insurance company will decide who is at fault.