After being involved in a car accident, you may feel confused, overwhelmed, and unsure how to proceed. That is because car accidents tend to have immediate consequences on the people whose cars are damaged in the collision. You may suddenly be dealing with injuries, see your car so damaged that it is unable to take you anywhere, and more. However, if the car accident is minor, you may feel confident that it is not a big deal and decide to just forget about the whole thing and drive away.
When Should a Car Accident Be Reported to the Police?
In general terms, whenever you have doubts about the need for police presence, it is better to have them come to the scene. When they arrive, they will issue an accident report which is a useful document to have both for the insurance company and for your accident attorney if you later decide to file a claim.
However, there are several situations in which calling the police after an accident is essential. Some of them are:
- When any of the drivers or passengers involved sustain injuries
- If minors under the age of 18 are involved
- If the car accident involved pedestrians
- If the accident caused damage to another person’s property
- If one or both of the vehicles involved have major damage
What Information Will the Police Need?
For police to draft an accident report, they will need some information both from you and from the other party or parties involved. This means that you will be asked questions that you should answer politely and to the point. Avoid speculation as to who was at fault for the accident, the police know what to look for and will reach their conclusions. By going on speculating about the accident and what might have triggered it, you may end up incriminating yourself.
The police will need essential information about you and the other driver besides an account of the accident and this includes:
- Contact details like name, date of birth, phone number, and address
- Insurance policy
- Car registration
- Driver’s license numbers
Actions You Should Take After an Accident
Whether you end up filing a claim after a minor car collision or not is something you may be able to decide in the future. However, while you are still at the accident scene, it is crucial to gather all the available evidence should you need to use it later.
Document the scene – Take out your phone and take pictures of the cars, their damage, and their position on the road. Take pictures of your injuries, if there are any, and of anything you believe might have contributed to the crash. If there are any witnesses around, get their testimonies and contact information.
Exchange information – Get the other driver’s contact information as well as their insurance policy, and driver’s license, and jot down the car’s make, model, and license plate. Again, avoid speculating about the accident with the other driver. They may end up filing a claim against you using whatever you say.
Get a medical evaluation – You may feel confident that you sustained no injuries during the accident and you may be right when it comes to obvious physical harm. However, a healthcare provider may find that you have damage to your organs or that there is internal bleeding of which you might not have been aware. Make your health your priority and never skip this important step.
