Is a Police Report Necessary Right After A Vehicular Accident?
As claimed by the vehicular insurance specialists, the typical American driver will engage in at least 4 car collisions in the duration of his or her life. This tells us that a driver may encounter an accident, more or less, every 18 years.
What does the law tells us?
Know when you need to file an accident report with the authorities. All states have different rules regarding when this should be filed. In Massachusetts, police report is needed if someone got hurt or there was a property damage of over $1,000.00.
Meanwhile, in Alabama, a police report is vital when there is death, personal injury or over $250.00 damage. Despite the legal conditions, the best thing to do is to do a police report whatever the damages are.
Need is not the right term
There are a few collisions that you need not to do a police report. This is when the damage was insignificant, no harm occurred, both parties have the license, totally insured, and civil with each other.
Filing a police report and having everything documented with the necessary proof is vital should there be a lawsuit in the future. Without it, it will be just his/her word against yours.
Nonetheless if you dialled 911, you just have to record everything where the accident happened. Take pictures of the following: your car, the other person’s vehicle, and the surrounding area. You can use those when you find yourself being sued by the other party or being investigated by the authorities.
Insurance Claims
In a lot of situation, you do not need a police report to submit to your insurer except when there is comprehensive damage that you want to be paid back for.
Private Property Accidents
In the majority of the states, police will not do a report when it comes to accident on a private place. This means, residences, local grocery, store parking lot, etc.
What they do cover are accidents on the road, highways, backstreets, country roads, and city roads. Examples of accidents on a private place are if your friend is at your driveway and hits your car or some stranger hits your garage door. These scenarios should be recorded by you so you can file a car insurance claim.
No Police Report Needed
If there are two or more parties involved, you need a police report. Likewise, it is needed to record important damages to a person or property. If you hit a pole which damaged your bumper, you do not need to call the authorities. Simply document what the losses are and take it from there.
LOOKING FOR A BODY SHOP FOR YOUR CAR?
When a car accident occurs, it could really be difficult to find a dependable repair shop. Look no further because Chaney’s Collision Center is there. At Chaney’s Collision Center, you are guaranteed that the mechanics are ASE Certified and I-CAR Platinum Certified. They can handle any collision repairs in times of emergencies, and to know more about Chaney’s Collision Center, you may call (623) 915-2886 or (623)248-8119.
