What to Do if Police Don’t Show Up After a Car Accident

If you’ve been involved in an accident and couldn’t have a police report generated, you should consult an auto accident attorney to learn more about filing a claim without a police report. In addition, they will advise you on how to be compensated for any financial loss and injuries without the help of a police report.

What to Do if I Don’t Get Help From the Police

If the police do not show up at the scene of an accident, you may document the scene yourself. Even if the police show up to take a report, you should still document the scene to ensure the facts reported to the insurance company are accurate.

The Texas Department of Insurance recommends taking pictures of the driver’s licenses and insurance cards of everyone involved in the accident. Also, take photos of the other cars involved, including the damage and the license plates. Taking pictures of street signs and road angles will be helpful too.

Collect and document information about others involved in the accident, talk to witnesses, and write down details of the accident. Below are some examples of information that you will want to note:

• Names, phone numbers, insurance company names, and policy numbers of the drivers involved in the accident
• Names and phone numbers of witnesses
• The location of the accident
• The time the accident occurred
• The weather conditions at the time of the accident
• A summary of what happened

All of this information would be in the police report if one were generated, so there is no need for the police to show up if you collect this information yourself. According to the Texas Transportation Code section 550.041(a), the police aren’t obligated to make a police report if there were no injuries or death and any property damage was less than $1,000. 

How Do I Report the Accident to the Police?

If you were involved in an accident and the police did not show up, you must report the accident if the accident resulted in a death or injury or if property damage equaled $1,000 or more. In addition, according to Texas Transportation Code section 550.062(b), You must file a report electronically by the 10th day after the date of the accident. 

You must file the report in the municipality where the crash occurred. For example, if the collision happened in Dallas, you may go to the Dallas Police website and fill out and submit the Driver’s Crash Report form using the information you gathered at the scene. Also, note that if you are incapacitated or too injured to fill out and submit the form, someone else may do it on your behalf. They will have to explain why you couldn’t complete the form.

Can I Still File a Claim Without a Police Report?

Your insurance company will accept the information you collected at the scene when you file a claim. Because you had to report the accident to the police using their online reporting service, you now have a copy of the form you filled out and submitted to the police. You may submit this form with any pictures you took at the scene.

You’ll also submit any medical records and bills produced as a result of your injury to the insurance company for evaluation. Once they have all of the information, they will do an investigation and make an offer of compensation. This offer is rarely accurate, and an attorney will be able to determine your claim’s worth and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. 

Consult Northeastern Texas Attorney Dale Rose About Your Auto Accident Case 

If you’ve been involved in an accident and are experiencing financial stress and physical pain, Dale Rose will help you file a claim to compensate you for your losses. In addition, he will know if an offer from an insurance company is fair or to keep fighting.
For a time during his career as an attorney, Dale Rose represented insurance companies and learned what lengths they would go to avoid paying out claims. To find out how he won’t let that happen to you, call us at (972) 634-ROSE (7673) or complete our contact form for a free consultation today.