Finance and Law

What Are the Benefits of Calling the Police After a Car Accident?

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">If <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;newsforpublic&period;com&sol;law-says-car-accident&sol;">you’re ever in a car accident<&sol;a>&comma; one of the most important steps to take in the aftermath is to call the police&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Especially with minor crashes&comma; it may be tempting to neglect the police and resolve the situation just between you and the other driver&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Doing this is a huge mistake because law enforcement is an invaluable resource during a crash&period; If you hope to make a claim or receive compensation from the other driver’s insurance&comma; you’ll <em>need<&sol;em> the police to show up to give your story credibility&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">This is particularly important because injuries like whiplash and <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;lvnvlawyer&period;com&sol;texas-car-accident-police-reports-everything-you-should-know&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">concussions aren’t fully observable for days<&sol;a>&period; Failing to involve the police can leave you on the hook financially for those wounds&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Law enforcement serves many roles after an accident&period; To help you understand their importance&comma; we’ll outline why they’re needed below&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Providing Mediation<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">One great benefit of having the police on the scene is to provide mediation between you and the other driver&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">When a crash happens&comma; it is extremely shocking and scary&period; After the initial shock fades&comma; it’s easy to become angry and upset at the other driver&period; Alternatively&comma; they may be aggressive toward <em>you<&sol;em>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Regardless of who caused the crash&comma; you don’t want to escalate the situation into physical violence&period; You never know what the other driver may do&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Police officers are perfect here because they will communicate with the other party for you&period; Furthermore&comma; they have the authority to encourage the other driver to give their information without a struggle&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">With a cop on the scene&comma; they will protect you from the other party and ensure that you get the information you need&period; This makes them a must-call for any accident you are involved in&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Accurately Documenting the Accident<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">While the police are there&comma; they can <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;money&period;usnews&period;com&sol;money&sol;personal-finance&sol;articles&sol;2018-07-03&sol;7-steps-to-take-after-a-car-accident" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">accurately document the accident<&sol;a> to verify how and when it happened&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">If you don’t call the cops after an accident&comma; there is no proof that the crash ever happened&period; The problem here is that you’ll need proof of the accident happening if you want to pursue a claim or compensation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Alternatively&comma; the other driver can immediately call their insurance company and report the accident with <em>you<&sol;em> at fault for the crash&period; This can lead to you being liable for the damage <em>they<&sol;em> caused&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Fortunately&comma; a police officer eliminates this risk&period; The officer that arrives will take input from both parties and collect personal information&period; They will also take notes about the accident scene for an impartial perspective&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Because of this&comma; a police officer is essential to reducing your liability and protecting your rights in a crash&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Generating a Police Accident Report<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">What results from the documentation of the accident is a <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;nerdwallet&period;com&sol;blog&sol;insurance&sol;what-to-do-after-a-car-accident&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">formalized police accident report<&sol;a>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">This is typically created a few hours or days after the accident happens&period; It draws from the notes the officer took at the scene and will include a determination as to who caused the crash&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Should the other driver be at fault&comma; then hopefully&comma; the officer indicated that&period; This will make it much easier to pursue a claim because you have authoritative backing&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Almost any insurance company will require a copy of the police report when filing a claim&period; Without one&comma; they can deny your claim and feign ignorance&comma; leaving you unable to dispute the accident&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Calling the police guarantees a police report and therefore gives you more credibility when making your claim&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Complying With Legal Requirements<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">A final consideration here is that some accidents <em>require<&sol;em> the assistance of the police&period; Because of this&comma; involving them may be legally necessary&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The specific laws regarding calling the police after a crash vary by state&comma; but a few general guidelines are relatively similar&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">In particular&comma; crashes that involve injuries&comma; death&comma; more than minor damage to either vehicle or more than a few hundred in property damage require law enforcement&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">As you can see&comma; it doesn’t take much to make calling the police mandatory for an accident&period; Only minor fender benders and bumps are legally passable&comma; but even those would benefit from a police officer&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Taking this information into account&comma; <em>always<&sol;em> call the police after a crash to ensure you aren’t violating the law&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Closing Thoughts<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Involving the police in a car accident may seem like a hassle&comma; but they do more good than bad&period; Police officers are essential for protecting both parties and formally recording the accident&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">In particular&comma; law enforcement serves a few beneficial purposes in an accident&period; This includes providing mediation&comma; accurately documenting the scene&comma; and generating a police accident report&period; Remember that contacting the police is legally required for anything more than a minor crash&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Car crashes are traumatic experiences and the last thing you need is a stressful claim process&period; Protect yourself by calling the police to have a third party manage the scene of an accident&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

Hardik Patel

Hardik Patel is a Digital Marketing Consultant and professional Blogger. He has 16+ years experience in SEO, SMO, SEM, Online reputation management, Affiliated Marketing and Content Marketing.

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