Pros & Cons of calling Police in an accident

I’ll make a targeted remark. To you the police and other first responders are a protected group and it’s not politically correct for you to allow anyone to criticize them. Regardless of what story goes around of incompetence or corruption you will not allow criticism.

Your police probably aren’t as bad but in Illinois they closed off 2 lanes of Interstate and the left shoulder which could be used by cars to go around the fire trucks because of a car fire that happened on the right shoulder. The fire was completely out and the road was still closed with them standing around. I don’t think they do this kind of around in big cities like New York. They get away with it in in places like rural Illinois.

In the county which I live, if there is a collision with no injury you don’t need to wait for police. The police will advise drivers to handle to collision report themselves.

I sometimes see people standing on the side of the road for hours with a broken mirror or no visible damage at all. Do people really need assistance for this? Who has the brains of geese?

Already been suggested, already been ignored numerous times

1 Like

I was living in Tucson, AZ, in 1997 and I was driving my 1996 Toyota Corolla. I was the only car stopped at the light and I heard the squeal of tires behind me to see a large American Car sliding at me in my rear view mirror. There was a lot of cross traffic in front of me so I stomped the brakes and pushed myself into the seat expecting the worse.

Luckily, the car almost stopped and the impact just mashed up the rear bumper, no trunk or fender damage. I called the police and they did show up.

The other driver tried to claim that I was backing up and that’s what caused the accident. The police inspected the skid marks and noted that skip marks indicated the impact location and I could not have been backing up and cited him for several things. And noted in the report that he investigated the other driver’s claim that I was backing up and he found no evidence.

My insurance agent told me that the other driver still claimed that I was backing up in his accident report but told me that the police report refuted that I was not going to lose my Good Driver, first accident free pass discount.

I’m glad I did call the police…

3 Likes

That was how I first got my Triumph 650 to do a wheelie! I got rear ended, in a different story. I did not call a cop, as I was knocked out of thinking practically, other people did, thankful to them I am! They were on the scene before I even got to the curb to talk to the onlookers.

That is a lovely story but does not answer the question. Who paid for the repair? Your uninsured motorist coverage? The other driver? The other driver’s insurance company?

If the other driver has no car insurance and refuses to pay, the police cannot help, this is a civil matter.

Yeah it can only help not getting a chargeable accident on your policy and raising your rates.

Hitting deer are considered acts of god and not
Chargeable My agent asked if I called police. I said I just didn’t see the point and if he lived I didn’t want to be around an angry deer. Now if the thing was laying on the highway or a hazard I would have.

It was over 25-years ago and I honestly do not know nor remember even asking. I had no out of pocket expenses and I did not get a chargeable accident and I still had my Accident forgiveness and that was all that mattered to me at the time. So it was probably the other insurance company that paid.

As for dealing with a driver with no insurance, well, that’s up to my insurance company, State Farm, and how they want to handle it, repair it under collision, uninsured motorist, whatever, I do not care and if it comes to reimbursement by civil trial, it’s all on State Farm…

This is your answer to the OP’s question? Your insurance covers this problem, so that is the answer.

One good reason to call the police is to have the deer picked up and butchered for food kitchens. As long as the meat hasn’t spoiled the police will contact someone to take the deer.

1 Like

A nurse I worked with hit a deer on the way to work. She said the deputies were more interested in the venison than her.

3 Likes

As for Loud Thunder and his many stories , I thought George SJ was the sites official story teller of any subject posted here.

I do not know what your dissatisfaction with my answer is. The accident was over 25-years ago. I do not know why you are unhappy with my reply, did you not read it? From all this hullabaloo, I checked my policy and I’m a bit more educated and it does not matter which coverage clause my insurance company used. I do not know how much or what kind of coverage the other guy had and if you’ve ever watched “Judge Judy” involving an uninsured motorist, their policy always just lapsed “yesterday”

All that mattered to me so many, many years ago was that I was not going to have to pay more, nor lose my Good Driver Discount and the One Accident Forgiveness.

As for another insurance company refusing to pay, it’s all up to State Farm to secure reimbursement for their expenses, either by negotiating with the other company or taking that company to trial in a civil suit. And if the other motorist is uninsured, then State Farm decides if they will take them to court, most likely not…

So, when I wrote in response to the OP’s question:…

As to Carfax, I do not think it was yet a thing in 1997; but in response to the “What is if other party is manipulative and lying?” I responded with that the Police wrote up the Facts that would hold up in court, not some “one-sided-bias” accident report from each driver’s perspective. Additionally, that was also a very good reason for calling when there is no injury…

1 Like

Why do my “stories” bother you so much? When I offer advice or rational for something, I add context (my “story”) to my responses so they makes sense and how my answers apply to the situation; and I leave the snide remarks “un-typed” still in the keyboard.

When I wrote in my response to the OP’s question, why call the police, I told the OP why; that the other motorist did lie and even tried to convince the police and their insurance company that I backed into them at a stop light…

That’s why I did call the police and if it happens again, I will call them again.

It was snowing here so forgive my mood but there was always someone after a long meeting, and everyone just wanted to leave, that a final question or issue was raised, everyone shaking their heads and deciding it was a good time to go to the rest room.

If you have collision coverage, regardless of what the other insurance company does, you can have your car covered by your own coverage. But you have to pay your deductible. Then after after a year or two your company will try to recover their loss through subrogation. If they are successful, you get your deductible back.

1 Like

So glad I don’t have to worry about that anymore. my back thanks me.
Now I just have to worry about poison snakes, gators, bobcats, cougars, and sunburn. :rofl:

3 Likes

Don’t forget flooding from hurricanes and thunderstorms.

2 Likes

"weekend-warrior’’
just have to worry about poison snakes, gators, bobcats, cougars, and sunburn. :rofl: Also fire ants skeeters and sugar sand if you have not run into it already. :laughing:

1 Like

Did you forget about the GIANT flying roaches?
:wink:

1 Like

Ah yes, the delightful palmetto bugs.

1 Like