Do I Need To Call The Police After A Car Wreck?
Car accidents happen suddenly without warning.
They often leave people confused and unsure of what to do first.
This leads to some very common questions following vehicle accidents, even a minor car accident.
Unfortunately, like most everything else, there isn't always a clear cut answer to their questions.
Fortunately, many wrecks are little more than a minor inconvenience.
If you've been in a car accident it's important to contact a car accident doctor.
Maybe you backed into a mailbox leaving home, rear-ended someone in a parking lot, or accidentally jumped a curb.
Wrecks like these happen all the time, and they generally aren't much to worry about, so is it always necessary to call the police?
If your crash was so minor you can fix all the damages yourself, should you call the police?
It's not always safe to assume you don't need to call the police after an accident, no matter how minor it may be.
Sometimes it's even state law to contact emergency personnel.
In the article below, we will discuss why it is important to call the police after a car crash.
Table of Contents
If You Have A Fender Bender With No Injuries
Your Insurance Might Need A Police Report
The Police Report Can Help Settle Fault Disputes
You Might Be Injured
When The Police Are Coming
What Else Should You Do After Your Accident?
Contact Advanced Injury Care
If You Have a Fender-Bender With No Injuries
Admittedly, if you back up and hit your own mailbox causing minimal damage, you probably don't need to call the police.
However, any accident more severe than that could use some police presence.
Even after a minor fender-bender, a police officer can help sort things out and document everything that happened in case that information is needed in the future.
There are some metropolitan areas in the country where they probably won't send the police to the scene of your minor fender bender and advise you to just exchange information with the other driver.
If that happens to you, you should exchange information from the other driver, and get their:
Name and contact information
Insurance information including the name of their car insurance company, insurance agent, and their policy number
Name, address, and telephone number of their insurance representative
License plate number
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Your Insurance Might Need A Police Report
Before deciding not to call the police after a crash, you should be sure your insurance company doesn't require a police report.
Insurance companies have many different things they require of their customers.
This is especially important if you file a claim with your own insurance to pay for your damages and injury bills.
If you aren't sure of the specific details in your insurance policy, it is better to err on the side of caution and call the cops just in case.
It's better to call the police and not need the report than to skip calling the police and need an accident report that you don't have.
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The Police Report Can Help Settle Fault Disputes
If you're in a crash involving another vehicle, calling the police and getting a police report can help determine which driver was at fault.
People involved in an accident will rarely agree over who's at fault, and if they follow the advice of their lawyer, they will rightfully never admit fault.
And, there are always circumstances surrounding an accident that can make who's at fault less obvious.
For example, maybe you're driving, and the car in front of you stops suddenly.
You have to slam on your brakes to avoid hitting them, but the driver behind you isn't as quick and slams into you.
To you, it might seem like the driver behind you is at-fault because they should have reacted just like you and avoided the accident.
However, the other driver might claim that you were reckless for having to stop suddenly in the middle of the road.
Wrecks like these can get messy in a hurry.
Calling the police to investigate the crash and provide you with an accident report will help you cut through the mess.
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You Might Be Injured
It's not always obvious if you've been injured due to the adrenaline that is likely running through your body.
If you feel fine at the scene of the accident but start developing symptoms hours or days later, it could be difficult to prove that you've been injured due to your accident without an accident report.
An official police report will be a crucial piece of evidence that you can use to prove that you were injured because of your accident.
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When The Police Are Coming
If you call law enforcement and they send an officer to the accident scene, they aren't going to arrive instantly, especially if the police department assigns it a low priority.
It isn't completely out of the ordinary for the police to take an hour or more to arrive on the scene.
You have to wait for the police, but what should you be doing while you wait?
A few things you can do are:
Assess the situation
Help the injured
Investigate the scene yourself and gather evidence
Get the names and contact information of any witnesses
Protect the scene
Don't say too much to the other driver and anyone else at the scene.
When the police do arrive on scene, only speak to the officer about the specifics of your accident, and still be sure not to say too much.
Please give them the information they ask for, but nothing else.
Your attorney should handle all other communication.
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What Else Should You Do After Your Accident?
Aside from calling the police, you should do a few other things after a car crash.
Your number one priority after an auto accident should be taking care of your health.
If you're obviously injured, you should call 911 and go to the emergency room as soon as possible.
But, as we mentioned earlier, it's not always immediately obvious if you've been injured.
Even if you feel fine after your accident, you should still get checked out just to be sure you're okay.
You can go to your primary care physician, but an even better option is a car accident chiropractor.
Car accident chiropractors will know the best way to diagnose and treat your auto accident injuries.
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Contact Advanced Injury Care
If you or a loved one has been in an accident, you should call the cops right away.
The next thing you should do is visit a Nashville car accident chiropractor as soon as you can so you can rule out any injuries or begin treatment for the injuries you have sustained.
If you don't have a chiropractor, contact Advanced Injury Care Clinic.
AICC has one goal in mind: to help all of their clients with both their physical and financial recovery after a car accident.
To do that, they have spent years studying and learning the recovery process for injury victims.
That has led them to provide their patients with chiropractic care and referrals to the top personal injury attorneys in the area.
If you're ready to heal financially and physically, click the button below to schedule a Free Consultation with AICC.