does every car accident need to be reported to the cops (and given a police report)?

Question

a friend of mine was on his way home after having a few beers. he said he was NOT drunk at all, and believe me, he will know when he can't drive. then suddenly, he had said something like a dog or fox ran across the highway--and to avoid hitting the poor animal, he tried to swerve (slightly off to the shoulder). but because of the rain..the car spun out of control hitting the guard rail 3-4 times and totalling his car and deploying the air bags. NO cars were involved, thankfully.

as i was following him from behind..i KNEW that i should have NOT called the cops, cause i knew he would get a DUI..but out of panic i called the cops--because i heard if u don't...insurance won't know what happened without a police report..and won't fix your car. cops came, arrested him, took him to the hospital for a blood test...and it came up .14% and he will possibly face some jail time and heavy fines.
now i feel terrible for calling the cops--could there been a way out of this?

..and yes, there was property damage (to the guard rail) if we had left the scene, it would be considered like a hit and run.

and yes, there were witnesses who ALSO called the cops, so i guess i'm not the ONLY bad person to call the cops on him =0X

Answer 1

Thr RIGHT thing was to not have let him drive in the first place. The insurance company is not going to pay for the damages anyways since it was alcohol related. The entire episode could have been prevented if you had just fessed up to the fact that he had been drinking and had someone drive him home. Why don't you feel bad for letting him get into the accident in the first place?

Answer 2

Not now! I had an accident where I hydroplaned and went off the road, sideswiping some trees. The damage seemed minimal at the time and no other cars were involved so I didn't call the cops. The next day I realized the damage was more than I first thought. I called my insurance company and it wasn't a problem. They paid the claim($2500.00) my car got fixed and they never said a word about not filing a police report. So no, since no other car was involved, you probably didn't have to call the cops. I guess not all insurance companies are the same, and the fact that the car was totaled may have made a difference, but I would have left that decision up to my friend. sorry.
On the bright side, you probably saved his life and/or the lives of innocent people. He obviously doesn't know when he's ok to drive! Don't let him blame you for his actions. All of us have to practice personal responsibility.

Answer 3

You do not have to call the police if no one was injured in the accident. Your insurance company will evaluate the scene of the accident, the damage to the car and the statements of the people involved in determining coverage and damages. Even in major accidents the police report is only part of the picture. If the cop didn't see the accident, they don't know they don't know the exact facts either. I work for an insurance company, so I understand the claim process. HOWEVER...that being said...if you know your friend had a few beers he shouldn't have been driving. .14% is well over the legal limit in most states and that could have been a much much much worse situation. Did those after school specials teach us nothing?!

Answer 4

I would not have called the police because no one was injured and there was a valid reason why he lost control besides drinking. I was in a car accident that totaled my vehicle, but a report was not done because they were more concerned with getting me off the highway. They (police) didn't even ask for my insurance card. When it came time to submit the report to my insurance company, I just had to write down what happened. At the same time, it sounds like you made the right choice because he was actually drunk. Did you notice anything run across the road to validate his claims. This can be a catch 22.

Answer 5

No! You are right. With out a police report you can not file an insurance claim for your car. Plus think of it this way. What if he had hit an innocent person instead of a guard rail ? A lot of people
think they know when they can and can not drive while drinking. These are usually the people that I end up taking care of in the Emergency room, or their Innocent victims. You did the right thing in calling the police. If it makes you feel better, it is against the law to witness an accident like that and not report it.

Answer 6

You did the right thing. Think how bad you would feel if that guard rail would have been a group of people walking down the street. Driving drunk is just stupid. Even after a few beers your judgment and reaction time is affected. Your friend is lucky to be alive, many accidents when alcohol is involved don't end with a simple DUI. Next time offer to drive your drunk friend rather than following him.

Answer 7

Yes.
You should have taken his keys away from him!
This is never an easy thing to do to a friend, but It could have easily been an other car or someone walking out in the street and someone could have died. Clearly he was drunk. How would you have felt if your friend had been killed in the crash he caused by driving drunk?

I know it sounds harsh, but you may have done your friend a favor by calling the police. He may well get the help, he may not know he needs.

But PLEASE, Next time you go out with friends drinking have a designated driver, and never be afraid to run off with someones keys if you think they are drunk. You may well save a friends life some day. If that makes them mad at you, let them be mad and alive for a good long healthy life time
Be well
Be smart
Be strong

Answer 8

in most states an accident must be reported if it's over 500 dollars in damage or an injury has incurred. First off don't feel bad for calling the cops. He shouldn't have been behind the wheel in the first place. Second be grateful he didn't kill himself or someone else. Calling the cops wasn't the bad thing to do, letting him drive drunk was the bad thing to do.

Answer 9

Sorry to hear that...I was in an accident during rush hour - though there wasn't much rush, it was bumper to bumper traffic on the highway with cars moving maybe 20 mph or less when they were actually moving....it was stop and go. Anyways, I was getting restless and happened to look away at one point after having been in traffic for about 20 mins and when I looked back to the road, the guy ahead of me was stopped and I slammed on my brakes, ended up slowing down considerably, but still hit the guy ahead of me. Long story short, we exchanged information, didn't call the cops, I took the blame, the guy contacted his insurance and told them the story, and he ended up calling me and saying (after having filed a police report after the fact) that the cops said in a case like this, it was fine not to contact them, as long as there was no property damage, no one was hurt, and there was no discrepancy over who hit who.

To answer you're question, if you could've moved/towed the car away from the scene of the accident, I would've done it and not called the cops. Dealing with your insurance company is another issue....not sure if they'd cover it or not, but I think if you told them a good story they'd cover it.

Answer 10

ok. she is going to furnish you the run around indefinitely. Time is of the essence. Take a photograph of HER automobile the place she hit you. concentration in on the paint that possibly rubbed onto her automobile interior the collision spot. Take a photograph of your automobile's harm. Be very thorough. a hundred photos is greater advantageous than 10. Take photos of the place the wear got here approximately, how your automobile grow to be parked, each thing. Now the crappy section. the only way you will get removed from this run around crap is to record a civil in superb condition. Take her to small claims courtroom. photos are your burden of evidence besides as any witnesses. Sworn witness statements or notarized statements help yet at the instant are not as stable as having the witness with you. The insurance business enterprise adjusters are knowledgeable to make you run in circles till you assert the hell with it. only tell her you propose on submitting a in superb condition against her for damages. tell her with the help of sending her an authorized letter requiring signature. No probability of denying it. That shows the choose stable faith. stable luck and that i hate irresponsible human beings like this chick.