Should I Move My Vehicle After a Crash?
Posted in Car accidents on March 11, 2025
When a car accident occurs, what you do in that moment after it happens could be critical to your ability to recover damages. In situations where your vehicle is in the middle of the roadway, knowing what to do means balancing safety with evidence. So, should you move your vehicle after a crash? If there is no significant injury involved, move your vehicle, but when there are injuries, stay where you are when possible. Once you are home, call a Nashville car accident lawyer to discuss your case.
What the Law in Tennessee Says About Moving Your Car After a Wreck
In situations where a person is hurt in a traffic accident, including on an interstate or controlled-access roadway, Tennessee law provides a few specific insights about when you can and cannot move that vehicle. If there is no evident personal injury and no one has lost their life in the accident, you can move your vehicle to the side of the road. However, you should only do this in situations where you can be safe while moving it.
The benefit of moving your vehicle is that you get out of the way of other motorists. That reduces the risks of additional accidents taking place. In every situation, you should prioritize your safety, which may mean getting yourself out of the vehicle and on the side of the road quickly.
Loss of Evidence When Moving Your Car
The reason not to move your car is twofold. First, it may not be safe to move the vehicle if you or another person are within that vehicle and you have serious injuries. In these cases, provide care to anyone with injuries in the best way you can and wait for emergency responders. Do not worry about moving your case.
In other situations where it is safer to move the vehicle, do so. Moving the vehicle indeed means you could be limiting access to some evidence, which may be making it harder for you to provide what occurred. Yet, safety is always the priority in these accidents.
If you do move your vehicle, you still need to document any evidence of the accident. That includes photos and videos of the scenes where it took place, the name and contact information for all involved drivers and passengers, and any witness contact information. This can serve as valuable evidence later.
How to Move Your Vehicle
Before you decide to move your vehicle, consider a few tips:
- If the vehicle can be driven, and you can safely make your way to the side of the road, do that immediately.
- If the vehicle is not operational, call 911 and ask for a tow truck to be called as well. Pushing the vehicle off to the side of the road typically isn’t likely to help.
- Make sure you move yourself out of the way of other motorists even if you cannot move your vehicle. Wait for medical care on the side of the road, far from the movement of traffic.
Once you are out of the way of traffic, wait for the police to arrive. The key here is not to leave the scene of the accident until all available evidence is in the hands of law enforcement. Then, seek medical care and contact a Nashville truck accident attorney who can help you navigate your rights to fair compensation.