When and How to Clean Up an Accident Scene

After a car accident, the roadway is often littered with debris—shattered glass from a headlight, plastic from a bumper, and maybe even fluids leaking from a damaged engine. Your first instinct might be to be a good citizen and immediately start clearing the road to prevent a hazard for other drivers. While this intention is admirable, it’s a moment that requires extreme caution.

Cleaning up an accident scene is a task that carries significant risks. Your personal safety is the absolute top priority, and knowing when, what, and how to clean up is crucial. Some cleanup tasks are a driver’s legal responsibility, while others are best left to trained professionals.

This guide will help you understand your duties and limitations, ensuring you can handle the situation safely and responsibly.

Useful Information for You: In a Nutshell

• Safety is Your Only Priority: Never attempt to clean up debris if you are in or near an active lane of traffic. Your life is more valuable than a piece of plastic.
• Leave Hazardous Materials to Professionals: Do NOT attempt to clean up gasoline, oil, coolant, or any other fluids. These can be slippery, flammable, and toxic. The fire department is trained to handle these spills.
• Small, Safe Debris is Your Responsibility: If it is completely safe to do so, you should remove small, inert pieces of your own vehicle (like a piece of a broken taillight) from the road to prevent them from becoming a hazard.
• Let the Tow Truck Driver Handle Major Debris: Reputable tow truck operators are equipped and required to clear any significant debris left from the vehicle they are towing.
• Washington Law Requires It (When Safe): State law requires drivers to prevent and remove substances from the highway that could be injurious to other drivers.

The Golden Rule: Prioritize Your Personal Safety

Before you even consider picking up a single piece of debris, you must assess the situation with one question in mind: Can I do this without putting myself at any risk?

• If you are on a highway, freeway (like I-5), or any busy road, DO NOT attempt to clean up debris. Stay in a safe location—on the shoulder or in your vehicle—and wait for the Washington State Patrol or your tow truck driver. Their flashing lights create a safe zone, and they have the equipment to clear the road.
• If you are in a quiet, low-traffic area (like a residential street or a parking lot) and traffic has been stopped, you may be able to safely pick up a few larger pieces.

What You Can (and Should) Clean Up—If Safe

Under Washington law, a driver has a responsibility to prevent materials from their vehicle from creating a hazard on the roadway. This applies to debris from an accident. If, and only if, you have determined it is 100% safe to do so, you should try to remove:

• Large pieces of your bumper or other body panels that could be a significant obstacle.
• Broken taillight or headlight casings.

The goal is to remove anything large enough to cause another driver to swerve, puncture a tire, or damage their vehicle.

What You Must NEVER Clean Up

Leave the following to the professionals (the fire department and tow truck operators):

• Any Leaking Fluids: Gasoline, oil, antifreeze, and transmission fluid are all hazardous. They are slippery, creating a danger for other cars and motorcycles, and they are often flammable.
• Sharp Metal Fragments: Twisted metal can have razor-sharp edges.
• Broken Glass: While it may seem simple, sweeping up shattered glass on a public road without proper equipment is dangerous and ineffective. The tow truck operator will typically handle this.

The Role of the Tow Truck Driver

When your vehicle is towed from the scene, the tow truck operator has a professional responsibility to clear any remaining debris related to your car. They are equipped with brooms, shovels, and absorbent materials to handle fluid spills. This is part of the service they provide. You can, and should, confirm with the tow truck driver that they will be sweeping the area before they leave.

Your primary duties at an accident scene are to ensure everyone is safe, call for help, and gather evidence. While being a responsible citizen is important, never let your desire to clean up the road override your personal safety.

If you have been in an accident in the Tacoma area, the complexities don’t end when the scene is cleared. You will then face the claims process. Search the Car Accident Lawyer Directory Tacoma to find a trusted local attorney who can help you navigate the aftermath and fight for your rights.

References

• Revised Code of Washington (RCW 46.61.645) – Spilling loads on highways—Penalty:

  The official state law that establishes the duty of a person to not drop or leak a load on a highway and to immediately remove any such hazardous material. This principle applies to accident debris.

  https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.61.645

• Washington State Patrol (WSP) – On the Road:

  The WSP often provides public safety campaigns and information regarding road hazards and driver responsibilities.

  https://www.wsp.wa.gov/category/on-the-road/

• Washington State Department of Ecology – Spills:

  Provides information on responding to hazardous material spills, which is relevant for fluid leaks after an accident.

  https://ecology.wa.gov/spills-prevention-preparedness-response