Experiencing a car accident is not a pleasant experience. It will ruin all the plans you had for that day and you’ll have to deal with injuries and legal issues. Facing them as quickly as possible would be a wise choice, especially if you hire a lawyer to help you speed up the entire process while you recover both mentally and financially.
But why bother with all of this nonsense? You could just avoid legal issues by not reporting what happened. It if was a minor collision, both drivers can easily agree that what just took place is not a big deal, so they can go on with their lives. But all of this couldn’t be more wrong.
Trying to run away from this problem will only allow it to catch up with you and become even bigger, like everything else in life. You can end up facing severe penalties and if someone else reported the accident, you might end up being considered the at-fault party or even worse, someone who just fled the scene of an accident.
Being Smart When Dealing with an Accident
If you were involved in a collision that caused damage and left someone injured, do not wait around or just act like nothing happened. There are various reasons why you should always report a car accident to the police, and keeping them in mind will allow you to avoid a lot of troubles in the future.
Avoiding a Misdemeanor
While this is a rare scenario, it can happen and some people will try to take advantage of the situation as much as they can. If you and another driver both agreed that nothing happened and just continued driving, you can get pulled over because he just reported you as a hit and run driver who left him injured and with his car damaged.
You might end up facing a misdemeanor and dealing with a judge because you trusted a complete stranger. Avoid this mistake at all costs. Even if no one was seriously injured, always get an accident report from the police so you won’t end up being guilty of something that never took place.
Your Claim Will Hold More Value in the Future
Not all damage is immediately visible. You may start experiencing back and neck pain in the future, and you may notice that something is wrong with your car and it’s not working like it used to before the accident.
By getting a report, your insurance claim will hold a lot more value once these issues become evident and you decide to take legal action. With the help of an experienced legal advisor, you’ll also be able to speed up the process and receive the compensation you deserve as soon as possible.
Keeping a Record of Events
When your accident involves another driver, a report can stop him from lying because it’s basically a record of events. If the other party makes false claims or refuses to take responsibility for being careless behind the wheel, a report can easily stop him and strengthen your case because it contains all of your statements and those of any witnesses.
Reporting Is Always a Priority
Once a car accident takes place, you only have 24 hours to report it to the police and your insurance company. Keep this in mind and make reporting your number one priority every time you’re involved in a crash. Many drivers avoid reporting to their insurer because they don’t want their costs to be higher, but if the other driver decides to file a claim for unnoticed vehicle damages, your insurance company will refuse any type of interactions with the case because you failed to obtain a report. Do not play with your life and your wallet. Be smart, report everything, and always hire a lawyer if things end up in court.