Whenever we speak to an accident victim, we remind them that there are certain things you need to do immediately after your car accident if you want to protect your rights. The first thing you need to do is call 911. Whether you want to or not, you really have no choice in the matter. Not only does Georgia law require you to report the accident, but your Carrollton car accident lawyer will need a copy of the police report to prove your case.
Here, we will explain why it’s a dangerous thing to avoid the cops after a motor vehicle accident. We’ll also discuss what your options are if the other party gives you fake insurance information. Since we offer new clients a free, initial consultation, you should call our office as soon as possible after your crash so we can get moving with your case.
There is No Good Reason Why the Other Driver Would Ask You to Not Call the Police
When you think about it, there’s really no good reason why the other driver would ask you to avoid the cops. It’s one thing if you don’t feel like waiting for the cops to investigate the accident. But typically, even in a serious accident, the police are done canvassing the scene after an hour or two. So it’s hard to believe that this would be the reason why the other driver wants you to not call 911.
Typically, some of the reasons why this may happen include the following:
- the other driver doesn’t have insurance
- the other driver does not have a valid driver’s license
- the car they are driving is stolen
- there are open warrants out on the other driver
As you can see, none of these reasons are good. It’s in your best interest to always call the police immediately after any type of motor vehicle accident.
The Cops Can Confirm Whether the Insurance Information if Valid at the Scene
One of the first things the police will do when they arrive on the scene is ask both drivers for their license, registration, and insurance information. They will run all this information through their computer and, if any of it comes back as invalid, they will address the driver right there on the scene. For example, if the other driver has invalid insurance information, the police will give them an opportunity to provide updated information. If they’re not able to do this, they will likely be arrested for driving without insurance. Not only will this help you identify the person that you need to pursue, but it will also give you an opportunity to file a claim with your uninsured motorist policy.
You Won’t Have Another Chance to Confront the Driver
If the other driver does give you false information, you have absolutely no way to track them down later. It’s one thing if you have their proper driver’s license and contact information. But typically, what drivers usually do after an accident is exchange insurance information and possibly a telephone number. Unless you call the driver right from the scene, you’ll have no idea whether they have given you the right phone number. This becomes a much bigger problem when you meet with your Carrollton car accident lawyer and find out that they have nobody to pursue for damages.
Your Carrollton Car Accident Lawyer Needs Accurate Information to Pursue Damages
If the other driver is not insured, your only real option to recover damages is to sue them personally. To do this, your accident attorney in Georgia will need their name, address, and any other information you can find. Now, if you called the police immediately after your crash, you wouldn’t need to search for this information.
Even if the other driver gave you false information at the accident scene, the police would sort that out for you. They would also provide your Carrollton car accident lawyer with updated information on the other driver. Once they have this, they can file suit against the other driver and hope to recover damages.
If you don’t call the cops, all you will have is a physical description of the person and the type of car they were driving. Since you don’t know if they own the car they were driving, this can make it very difficult to track them down.
You Don’t Want to Make Your Accident Attorney in Georgia’s Job Any Harder
Whether or not you want to call the cops after your accident, you need to think about the big picture. The hour or two that you’ll have to wait for the police to finish their investigation is nothing compared to how valuable their final report will be. So many of our clients come in and say that they just exchanged information with the other driver because they didn’t feel like calling the cops. What they don’t realize is that in order for your Carrollton car accident lawyer to prove your case, they’re going to need the police report. Furthermore, you have no idea if the information the other driver gave you is legitimate or not.
Typically, the only way you find out is when you try to file your insurance claim and you find out their policies invalid. On top of that, there’s a good chance that if they give you false insurance information, they also gave you false contact information. What this means is that you’ll have no avenue for redress other than your own uninsured motorist’s policy. There’s even a chance that your insurance company will deny your claim because you didn’t call the cops. They know that if the police arrived at the scene, they would have determined that the insurance information provided was false.
Rather than try to figure this all out on your own, it’s a good idea to call and speak with one of our accident attorneys in Georgia. They will review your case and any information you can provide. We offer new clients a free, initial consultation so that you can get an idea of whether your case has merit. If it does, there’s a good chance that one of our attorneys will be willing to represent you. If not, at least you’ll know for sure that it’s not worth pursuing.
