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

Screwball

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?

jrollo76

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.

hajgora7

If you know he is driving DUI and you're letting him do this, and you DON'T call the cops, you're every bit responsible if he hurts anyone INCLUDING himself.

You did the right thing.

Don't let anyone drink and drive. Please don't. For the love of life.

That said, people: if a dog or another animal runs out in front of you, don't swerve. This only increases your chance of injury. Apply the brakes, not too fast, or just run over the critter if it's not so big it'll hurt your vehicle. Better the animal than you, or even worse, someone in the opposing lane or side of the road.

weezy627

You did tha right thing

I don't think you have to..

maxi

no not really once i was on a car accident and we juss called the insurance company

Erika C

Generally you need over $500.00 bucks in damage or any bodily injury. That said, he drove drunk, not you. Don't own his mistake, you were trying to help. Good luck!

knowssignlanguage

Nope there was no way out bc since he had total it the insurence would of not covered it without a police report i think or maybe bc he could of called the insurence company and said it was by himself accident. BUT YOU DID THE RIGHT thing anway any one who drinks and DRIVE is a a selfish person bc he could of killed himself or someone else Maybe he will learn his lesson and not drink and drive ever again.

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.

Iam!!

If you drive a semi, yes. This a Federal law. In your car and the vehicles are moveable, then you can exchange insurance information, phone numbers, etc... you should be legal.

survivor

It's hard to believe you called the cops on your buddy! Are you sure it was only out of panic that you did it???

Fleur de Lis

Be thankful he is alive, be thankful he did not kill another person.

Kelsey K

ya it does or else something bad might happen

csburridge

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

DuhCommonsence

No you can pretend it never happened

suprasteve

a way out? no. If you're willing to fix the damages out of your own pocket, I wouldn't call the cops, don't know about the legality of that but oh well. But to report a claim to your insurance company, you almost always need a police report, especially if the car got totaled

IT'Z YA BOY

yes

missy

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.

Pey

You did the right thing. This was really a bad accident and he could have been injured or someone else could have been injured. In this case a police report would be required for the insurance company and by law in most states. You could also have been charged with obstructing justice. You did the right thing and it could have saved his life then or in the future.

N0_white_flag

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.

ejc19

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?!

Believe

You did the right thing, He shouldn't have been driving he was over the legal limit, If you hadn't called the cops Insurance most likely wouldn't have covered the damages..Why didn't someone just give him a ride home and pick up his car? why didn't he ask someone too? it would have saved him this trouble. Its responsibility

Bad Kitty!

You did what you thought you had to do at the time. You were probably also worried about him. He was driving drunk, after all. He could have been killed. You didn't do anything wrong, so don't blame yourself. Just don't let him drive with you in the car!

Lea

Congratulations.... You did the right thing. I am sure you were panicked when it happened and figured he could be hurt. I am sure your friend is ticked at you and probably blames you.. Don't let your friend blame you.. He did the drinking and driving. He could have driven further and wrecked and been killed... Then you would be beating yourself up because you should have called the cops in the first place... The guilt will never end. But remember you did not do anything wrong. Your friend broke the law and luckily no one was killed. You are a good citizen

DallasGuy

You should never call the cops if you have an accident, unless there are injuries. All that gets you is a higher rate class for insurance, even if it wasn't your fault. No police report, no accident on your driving record. As far as getting paid for the accident, the insurance company has to pay, but can probably drop you for not following their rules. But in the long run it would be worth it.

That was crappy of you to call the police. I guess you will regret that for ever and ever.

The insurance will have to pay even if he was drunk. That is why thay ask if you have been convicted of DUI in 5 years or so. They have to. And they want you to believe they won't pay if there is no police report. But they have to. They just want your record to reflect an accident so you will get higher rates.

philly_blunts69

should have just grabbed him and you friend and had him call his car in stolen to save the grief and then the inssurance would have fixed his car any way

Kali_girl825

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.

dangerthird

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.

Billy T

you could have picked him up and took him home. he could have gotten off free of any charges. ambulance i understand but cops no. im sure you were scared and did not think about anything but his well being. we all have to learn

Crash

Well he had a buz going for sure. A friend I would have left the cops out of it, for one if he was ok and a the car was smashed you have to report it within 24hrs........thus allowing his blood alki level to a safe limit.

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