Accidents and Insurance Information
An accident may be defined as ANY incident that involved damage caused either to or by the vehicle. This includes, but is not limited to:
- A State-owned vehicle (any damage, including paint scrapes, broken windows, dents, dings, thefts, etc.);
- Public property (e.g. guard rail, road sign, city/county vehicle, government property);
- Private property (e.g. private vehicle, private property);
- Pedestrian(s)
In any accident, a police report is required. Contact the local police department or Colorado State Patrol (dial *277 from any mobile phone to be connected with the Colorado State Patrol).
In any of the following situations, be sure to obtain the police case report number, the police officer’s name, the agency for which the officer works, and a contact telephone number. Transportation Services will need to obtain a copy of the police report, and this information will expedite the process.
At the scene of an accident involving a State-owned vehicle, the driver must STOP IMMEDIATELY, and:
- DO NOT ADMIT FAULT OR MAKE COMMITMENTS. DO NOT GIVE STATEMENTS TO ANYONE EXCEPT THE POLICE, THE SFM CALL CENTER, UNC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, AND YOUR SUPERVISOR.
- Aid any injured persons willing to accept your help. Aid does not necessarily involve performing first aid and/or CPR (unless you are willing and your certification is current), but does involve calling 911, sending a witness for help, etc. Of course, make sure to take care of yourself, too, and don’t put yourself in a potentially unsafe situation to aid another (your safety is paramount). Under no circumstances should you leave the scene, as this is a felony, and subject to both criminal and civil action.
- Notify local law enforcement by calling 911. When speaking with the dispatcher, indicate
your name, telephone number, whether or not anyone is injured, license plate number
of all vehicles involved in the accident, location of the accident (including direction
of travel, if known). For vehicles that are still drivable, ask the dispatcher if
it would be appropriate to move the vehicles to the side of the road. (Some jurisdictions
require that, whenever possible, accidents be moved from traffic immediately.)
- IF THERE ARE SERIOUS INJURIES, do not move any vehicles (unless they are creating a hazard to other motorists) until or unless you have been instructed to move them by law enforcement; serious injury and fatality accidents typically require a greater level of police report detail, including precise measurements, skid marks, point of impact, etc. Additionally, do not attempt to move injured parties unless their location is dangerous to the point that additional injury is likely.
- IF THERE ARE MINOR OR NO INJURIES, if the vehicles are drivable, mark their locations and move them from traffic (unless specifically told not to by law enforcement).
- DO NOT leave the scene until law enforcement tells you that you may leave.
- In the event that the jurisdiction in which the accident occurred is on accident alert,
exchange information with the other driver(s) and file a “counter” report at the local
police or State Patrol station immediately. Use the State of Colorado Vehicle Accident
Report form included in the vehicle to record information. You’ll need to make sure
you obtain the following:
- Other driver(s) name(s)
- Other driver(s) address(es) and telephone number(s)
- Other driver(s) Insurance company, policy number, and telephone number
- Other driver(s) vehicle license plate, VIN, make, model, year, color
- Nature and location(s) of damage
- Contact your supervisor and UNC Transportation Services about the accident.
- Complete the State of Colorado Vehicle Accident Report form in its entirety and return it to UNC Transportation Services within five (5) business days of the accident. If there are injuries or fatalities, a preliminary report must be filed within ONE (1) business day.
In the event of a hit-and-run accident:
- Be a good witness! Please make safe and reasonable efforts to obtain the vehicle license plate number, a description of the vehicle (e.g. make, model, color, window tint, bumper stickers, visible damage, etc.), and a description of the driver.
- Contact local law enforcement by calling 911. Inform the dispatcher that you have just been involved in a hit-and-run accident. Indicate your name, telephone number, whether or not anyone is injured, license plate number of all vehicles involved in the accident, location of the accident (including direction of travel, if known). If your vehicle is still drivable, ask the dispatcher if it would be appropriate to move the vehicle to the side of the road. (Some jurisdictions require that, whenever possible, accidents be moved from traffic immediately.)
- Contact your supervisor and UNC Transportation Services.
- Complete the State of Colorado Vehicle Accident Report form in its entirety and return it to UNC Transportation Services within five (5) business days of the accident. If there are injuries or fatalities, a preliminary report must be filed within ONE (1) business day.
In the event of a stolen vehicle:
In the event that your vehicle is stolen:
- Contact local law enforcement immediately by calling 911. Inform the dispatcher that your State-owned vehicle has been stolen. Identify yourself, offer your phone number, identify the vehicle license plate number and a description of the vehicle, the location where you last had the vehicle, and where they may send an officer to meet your to take the report. The State has had high success rates in recovering stolen vehicles that were reported in a timely manner.
- Notify UNC Transportation Services immediately.
- In accordance with State rules, neither the State of Colorado nor UNC Transportation Services will typically reimburse for arranging transportation, such as a taxi cab, shuttle, etc.
In the event of vandalism:
In the event that your vehicle is vandalized (e.g. slashed tires, graffitied, keyed, window(s) broken, personal effects stolen from the vehicle, etc.), the driver should:
- Leave the crime scene undisturbed. Footprints and other physical evidence may be collected by law enforcement personnel (if available), and, in some cases, may actually lead to the bad guy (footprints left the snow have a negative effect on concealing the bad guy’s whereabouts.)
- Contact the local law enforcement agency to report the incident. Inform the dispatcher that your State-owned vehicle has been vandalized, and that a police report is required by the State in order to process a damage claim. Identify yourself, offer your phone number, identify the vehicle license plate number and a description of the vehicle, and where they may send an officer to meet your to take the report. Please understand that some police agencies place “cold” reports lower on the priority list than other calls, so response times might not be as quick as we’d like; please be patient!
- Contact your supervisor and UNC Transportation Services.
- Complete the State of Colorado Vehicle Accident Report form in its entirety and return it to UNC Transportation Services within five (5) business days of the accident. If there are injuries or fatalities, a preliminary report must be filed within ONE (1) business day.
Insurance Coverage – Liability and Medical
- The State of Colorado and the University of Northern are self-insured for liability only. Neither the State of Colorado nor the University of Northern Colorado provides personal injury protection (PIP) coverage per se.
- In the event that you are injured in an accident, and if you are a classified, exempt, faculty, or student employee acting within the scope of employment (in other words, if you are being paid to operate the vehicle as a part of your job), a Worker’s Compensation claim will need to be filed through UNC Human Resources. Non-employees (driver or passengers) will need to file claims through their personal health insurance provider.
- Additionally, liability insurance covers University vehicles only while they are being used for official University business. Inappropriate / non-approved use of University vehicles could result in the driver being personally liable for any and all resulting damages and/or injuries for all parties.
- If a vehicle is damaged in a manner beyond normal wear and tear, due to negligence or carelessness, or if damage is not reported to Transportation Services upon return, any and all repair costs may be charged to the renting department. If the department chooses to deny the charges, then costs may be billable to the driver.
