[California] I reported a car off the road a few weeks ago. CA Highway Patrol wants to talk.
Location: California.
Hi r/legaladvice. Last week as I was driving to the next town over, I saw a car off the road in the opposite direction of my travel. I live in a semi-rural area and this road is infamous for being tough on people not used to driving country roads.
As I drove by, I noted that it was so far off the road in the ditch that it was likely to need a tow. Also, it appeared as though the driver-side curtain airbag had deployed. I kept driving and called the the local sheriff to report it, spoke to the local fire department to give them a better idea of the location, provided my name and number, and hung up the phone.
This week, I get a call from someone claiming to be a highway patrol officer who wants to ask me some questions (they left a VM).
Now, I am fully educated on the "do not talk to cops" idea. So I need your help. I really want to know what happened and figure I could help the police (and possibly this poor person who ran off the road). Should I talk to a lawyer? Should I just not respond? Can it really hurt to call the officer back and talk about what I saw and reported?
Thanks for your guidance!