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West Virginia driving lesson · Emergencies and Crashes

If you are in a crash

A 3-minute lesson from the West Virginia course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Emergencies and Crashes
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
26, 83, 84

After a crash, protect the scene, help the injured without making things worse, exchange information, and report it when the law requires. Knowing the order matters.

Crash steps:

  • Stop immediately; turn off the ignition to prevent fire
  • Protect the scene with flares, a flagger or other means
  • Render aid; don't move the injured unless absolutely necessary
  • Send for an ambulance and/or law enforcement; keep spectators away
Handbook p. 84 ↗

Know the rule

A crash with injury, death, or property damage of $1,000 or more must be reported to the nearest law enforcement agency.

Handbook p. 84 ↗

Know the rule

Reports go within five (5) days by the quickest means: local police inside a municipality, otherwise the county sheriff or nearest State Police office.

Handbook p. 26 ↗

Exchange with others involved:

  • Name
  • Address
  • License plate number
  • Driver's license number
  • Motor vehicle insurance information
Handbook p. 84 ↗

Know the rule

Don't stop at a crash scene unless you're involved or can help; unnecessary stopping creates more hazards.

Handbook p. 84 ↗

Know the rule

If you hit an unattended vehicle and can't find the owner, leave a written note with your name, address, plate number, license number, insurance information, and what happened.

Handbook p. 84 ↗

Know the rule

For first aid, stay calm and don't move the victim unless there's danger of further injury. Keep the victim lying down and comfortable.

Handbook p. 83 ↗

First aid order:

  • 1. Control bleeding
  • 2. Restore breathing
  • 3. Treat for shock
  • 4. Protect broken bones
Handbook p. 83 ↗
About 2 million

People injured in traffic crashes each year; many die because proper first aid wasn't given

Handbook p. 83 ↗

Good Samaritan Law

Anyone, including doctors and dentists, who gives emergency care at a crash scene in good faith and without pay is not liable for civil damages from that care.

Handbook p. 84 ↗

Put it into practice

You sideswipe a parked, empty car in a lot and the owner is nowhere to be found. Leave a written note with your name, address, plate number, license number, insurance information, and how the crash happened.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

What is the first thing you should do if you are involved in a crash?
  1. Drive to the nearest police station
  2. Call your insurance company first
  3. Move all vehicles off the road before doing anything else
  4. Stop immediately

Answer: Stop immediately

Stopping immediately is the first required step after being involved in a crash.

Handbook p. 84 ↗
What is the first step of giving first aid, in the order the handbook lists?
  1. Restore breathing
  2. Control bleeding
  3. Treat for shock
  4. Protect broken bones

Answer: Control bleeding

The handbook's first-aid priority order begins with controlling bleeding, then restoring breathing, treating shock, and protecting broken bones.

Handbook p. 83 ↗
What does West Virginia's Good Samaritan Law protect?
  1. Anyone who witnesses a crash but does not stop
  2. Only licensed doctors who happen to be nearby
  3. Drivers who caused the crash themselves
  4. Someone who gives good-faith emergency care at a crash scene, without pay

Answer: Someone who gives good-faith emergency care at a crash scene, without pay

The Good Samaritan Law shields those who give good-faith, unpaid emergency care from civil liability.

Handbook p. 84 ↗
What should you do if you strike an unattended vehicle and cannot find the owner?
  1. Leave a written notice with your name, address, and insurance information
  2. Drive away since no one witnessed it
  3. Wait at the scene indefinitely until the owner appears
  4. Only report it if the damage exceeds $5,000

Answer: Leave a written notice with your name, address, and insurance information

If you can't find the owner of an unattended vehicle you struck, leave a written notice with your contact and insurance details.

Handbook p. 84 ↗
Which piece of information is NOT typically exchanged after a crash?
  1. Your driver's license number
  2. Your motor vehicle insurance information
  3. Your license plate number
  4. Your employer's name

Answer: Your employer's name

Name, address, license plate number, driver's license number, and insurance information are exchanged — not employer details.

Handbook p. 84 ↗
A crash with only $500 in property damage and no injuries must be reported to law enforcement.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Reporting is required only for crashes causing injury, death, or property damage at the $1,000 threshold; $500 with no injuries does not qualify.

Handbook p. 84 ↗
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