Car accidents can easily be a traumatic experience for everyone involved. They typically always result in personal injury claims, and sometimes even property damage claims.
Interestingly, though, many people believe that you don’t always need to contact law enforcement in every scenario. So, do you call 911 for a minor car accident? Houston personal injury attorney Stewart J. Guss provides a super helpful car accident checklist on his site.
In it, he recommends calling 911 before you do anything else, even if you’re not sure if others are injured. Be sure to read through it so that you understand exactly what to do should you be involved in a car accident.
Now, let’s explore why you should still contact the police even if the accident is minor.
Not All Injuries Are Readily Apparent
One of the most important reasons to contact the police after a car accident is to ensure that injuries are properly taken care of. Unfortunately, it’s entirely possible to have significant injuries that you can’t immediately see or feel.
Without filing a police report, you’ll find difficulty in pursuing the other party for financial compensation to help cover your medical costs if you choose to do so.
Your State May Require You to Do Call
Depending on your state, you may need to call the police if certain factors are present during the accident. For example, some states claim that you have to file a police report if there’s property damage worth over $1000.
You also need to call the police if someone was injured, especially a bicyclist. The same can be said for injuring animals. But, even minor car accidents in the scenarios could result in long-term issues to see the aforementioned fact that not all injuries are apparent at the scene.
So, it’s better to call in most scenarios— otherwise, it could be misconstrued that you fled the scene.
A Police Report Helps With Insurance Claims
In order for your insurance company to cover the damage, they’ll need evidence of the accident that occurred. Since even minor incidents can prove to be expensive if you take care of the damage on your own, it’s always best to have a plan for documenting an accident as much as possible.
Having a lawn enforcement officer give their opinion during a police report can go a long way when it comes to pursuing compensation.
Police May Determine Who’s At Fault
In many cases, it can be difficult to determine who’s at fault in a minor accident since injury or property damage may not be present. Additionally, it’s highly likely that neither party will be willing to pay for it even if they believe that they were the ones that caused the accident.
Law enforcement can help determine who caused the incident by investigating the scene, and this information will be added to the report they take.
Do You Call 911 for a Minor Car Accident in Other Cases?
In general, it’s best to use your best judgment since every scenario is different. From here, you’ll be able to and ‘do you call 911 for a minor car accident’ and make the decision that’s best for you.
Want to learn more info you should keep in mind? Be sure to explore what the rest of our blog has to offer.
