A: If, for example, you are found 40% to blame for an accident, you will only be able to recover 60% of the assessed value of your damages; therefore, it is extremely important for you to be very well prepared before an adjuster interviews you.

Some of the questions the adjuster may ask you are:

• Did you have time to brake?
• What was your speed before you applied your brakes and at impact?
• How far away from the other vehicle or the intersection were you when you first saw the other vehicle or when you first saw it turning?
• How many seconds before impact was this?

These are very difficult questions to answer, especially if you haven’t had time to think carefully about them and the adjuster is expecting your instant answer so he or she can type it out. It would be very useful for you to return to the accident scene before you visit the ICBC adjuster so you can reconstruct the accident in your own mind. This may be a traumatic experience for you, but it will be well worth it. You will want to:

• check for skid marks and debris from each vehicle,
• measure distances on the basis of meters or number of car lengths,
• count out the seconds before impact, and
• check your speedometer while traveling at the speed you recall going just before you braked and just before the accident.

Do not discuss the accident with witnesses or anyone else involved in it. If you do, the credibility of both you and the other person will be reduced. It would mean that you are no longer relying on your own memory - your memory has now been contaminated by the recollections of others. At least one of you will eventually admit that these discussions occurred.

It is best to have a friend, relative, lawyer or private investigator speak to witnesses and other people involved in the accident.

In order to prepare for questions on subjects other than the accident itself, please see the answer to the question “How should I prepare for my initial meeting with ICBC if I was a passenger or a driver clearly not at fault ”