Pros & Cons of calling Police in an accident

And nothing you get here will mean anything . This is not lawyers . com. This friend can only talk to their insurance , file charges or get an attorney. This is also one of those offer support but not advice from people who do not know all the facts.

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Is it late to report to the Police - 2 days later?
DMV takes complaints?

For crying out loud . How would someone here know the answer ? Have the person contact the local police department and get a real answer . Same for the DMV which might have the answer on their web site.

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They have 10 days to file an accident report with the DMV.

Vehicle Collisions - California DMV

Well it’s called a report because they take statements from both sides and anything else of relevance. If a person is stupid enough to tell the officer the backed into a stopped car and only had one drink, that will be in the report. Hard to argue after that. Usually it’s a come to Jesus moment when a uniformed officer with a gun and clip board starts asking questions, the truth is usually forthcoming. I don’t have a lot of experience though. Then they get home and start thinking about what they said and the story changes.

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I had a wreck in my Subaru one night with major damage. The lady I hit (and whose fault it was) told the police one thing at the scene.

Her insurance company balked and that led to my filing a suit. During depositions with the attorneys she provided a second, vastly different story from what she said at the scene.

Once in court and on the stand she provided a 3rd story that was far different from1 and 2. People will lie or do whatever it takes to get through the moment.

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I think Florida too is ten days.
A year ago I was in a minor accident, my fault, I immediately call the police. Officer just gave use the how to file information. I did not even get a ticket.

Another anecdote; chatting with my representative to the City Council, she pointed out her new car. She had been hit by a car running a red light, car totaled, she was hospitalized for several days, accident was witnessed. Clearly other driver was at fault and was charged.
Several days after returning home she got a letter from a contingency lawyer asking for $10,000 from her! Of course that went nowhere.

That’s why you gather as much information as you can. They don’t take responsibility or police don’t site anyone as responsible then it’s up to the courts and insurance companies.

Are all the policemen that effective?
Generally customer service is less formal in CA state. People claims to be something but they are not. I do not know how this come to happen.

Once I was interested in a state job - it was director level and advertised in the state job board - I was sent to a 3rd party recruitment company - it told me that they are focusing on someone right now and did not want my resume! Still within the deadline. You figure!

@sciconf Rather than endlessly question and debate this here with strangers from many widespread jurisdictions, may I suggest that your best way to answer your question is to contact your area police and your insurance to ask them what protocols to follow in the event of any accidents, major or minor, including whichever recent accident has prompted your question. Their protocols are what matter!

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Oh come on Marnet . Logical actions are not allowed here :wink: .

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LOL Eh, we all have times and situations when we get rattled and don’t necessarily think and act logically.

Case in point (of far less importance than vehicle accidents) is when any cricket gets near me. :grin::rofl:

This suggestion will not help for past problems but going forward I would most strongly recommend you invest in a dash camera, one with forward and rearward facing cameras. Teslas have all kinds of cameras already, and for at least some Ford and Chevrolet models they are a dealer-installed option. Expect to pay $200.00 to $500.00. Shop around. Some can upload camera footage directly to your cell phone; for others, you will want to travel with a laptop or tablet to download from the camera. Having one of these things will virtually eliminate the he said/she said issues that come up. For reference, there are a number of dash camera channels on YouTube that can give you an idea of how craze some people are and the lengths to which they will go to avoid responsibility (hit and run, lie to the police). In more than one instance, when the police did respond it turned out they were acquainted with the actual at-fault driver and refused to even talk to the actual victim. Having video evidence will be vital in subsequent insurance and court proceedings.

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If you take a look at the frequently bizarre Nextdoor forum, you would be tempted to state that a LOT of folks lack all semblance of logical thought, or even the knowledge of things that you and I learned by 9th or 10th grade.

Some recent examples:
Q: What is this strange creature that I found in my pool? Will it kill me?
A: It’s a Salamander. No, that 3 inch long creature will not kill you.

Q: What is this strange creature that I viewed on my security camera? Will it kill me?
A: It’s a Groundhog. It’s more afraid of you than you are of it.

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My wife had someone rear-end her a few years back. Major damage. There was a cop immediately behind the guy who hit her. It wasn’t his jurisdiction, but he waited for the officer that did have jurisdiction, and he added what he saw. The other guy still argued.

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So often, many of us say
 If only there was a cop around, to see that.
Luckily for your wife, there was one.

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Rear ending is automatic liability

Then there is no fault for injuries.

Comes from your own insurance?

The cop will come and turn on their emergency lights even when both vehicles are safely off the road. It will cause an unnecessary distraction and traffic jam. It will also scare away anyone who could actually stop to help and be useful.

Sometimes the cop will close all lanes of traffic for no apparent reason. It also keeps the cops away from dealing with actual crime. Maybe that’s why they like to come out to car accidents so much and call backup to hang out for a while.

It’s best not to if you can avoid it.