Who Cleans Up After Car Accidents?

• In is a light collision
• When there are serious injuries or fatalities
• If there are substances on the road
• Who is responsible for cleaning up the car?
• Who pays for an accident clean up?
• Contact us today

According to Brake, every 16 minutes someone is seriously injured or killed on UK roads. When these major accidents happen, it is critical the road is made clear and safe as soon as possible. Vehicles need to be moved off the road, victims tended to, fatalities handled with care, and any biohazards, fuel, and debris removed. 

But it might surprise you to hear that, just like crime scenes, car accident clean up does not fall to the police or emergency services. Who clears up depends on what happened, how serious it was, and what substances are on the road.

Here at ICE Cleaning, we offer professional road traffic accident clean up services. If you find yourself responsible for the aftermath, we can help you deal with the situation promptly and sensitively. Our technicians are trained trauma cleaning specialists that can take care of distressing scenes. 

In this blog, we will go through which parties are responsible for cleaning up in different circumstances.

In a light collision

If there have been no injuries and the vehicles can be easily moved, the vehicle owners must clear the road. Even if your car will be written off but you were not hurt, you must call in a tow truck to have it removed.

In the event you have damaged public property, like knocking over or breaking a sign, the local authorities will dispatch an accident clean up team to take care of it.

When there are serious injuries or fatalities

The emergency services and local council are responsible in the short term for clearing the road when serious accidents happen. This includes making sure victims get medical help and are taken to hospital if they require it, and removing debris from the road.

According to the AAA Foundation, clearing away car parts, glass, and other sharp objects must be done quickly and carefully as the the road dangerous to drive on.  

If there are substances on the road

In major collisions where there are severe injuries or fatalities, there will likely be biohazards, flammable liquids, and debris on the scene. Blood in the affected area can contain viruses and bacteria that is harmful to human health. The main risk, however, is that they are hazardous to drive on.

Only trauma cleaners with the right gear, equipment, and training should clear it up. They will have lots of experience handling sensitive situations. You can find out more about what trauma cleaning is in this blog.

The local council will bring in these specialists immediately to make sure the road is safe, secure, and biohazard free. They typically start by collecting any blood and other bodily fluids and putting them in the appropriate biohazard container for disposal.

Chemical agents are also used to get rid of any pathogens. The specialist cleaners will be licensed to handle and dispose of the waste appropriately at a hazardous waste removal centre.

They will then clean up any fuel. Given it is highly flammable and there might be other cars driving nearby or people at the scene, it must be removed rapidly. This should be left to experts with experience handling dangerous substances.

Who is responsible for cleaning up the car?

Even if the victims are seriously injured or were killed in the accident, the car might be repairable. Before it can be sent to a garage, however, any biohazards must be removed.

The owner of the vehicle is responsible for cleaning it up, but should not attempt to do this themselves. This can be a very distressing and dangerous situation without the right personal protective equipment.

Additionally, this kind of cleaning requires specialist tools and training to comprehensively remove and dispose of the waste. You should hire professional trauma cleaners to take care of this.

Who pays for an accident clean up?

If you are found to be at fault, the costs will fall to you. You could be charged for bringing in an accident clean up team and trauma cleaners, and will have to pay for public property to be repaired.

Contact us today

Our technicians are qualified and trained trauma cleaning experts that can clear away biohazardous material, flammable liquids, and debris after an accident. We can deliver a high-quality service 24/7, 365 days a year.

Get in touch with our team on 0208 066 0360 or enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk to find out more about our car accident clean up services.