Suppose you had an accident, did not seem hurt or damaged, and did not appear to be too bad. After the incident, you exchanged information with the other driver and went on separate ways. But later that evening, your back started to hurt, and you could not make out of bed the following day. The police will neither respond if you file a case after a day just because you are hurt the next day. Therefore it is necessary to file a police report, whether you are injured. Consult car accident attorneys los angeles if you need legal support for filing a car accident claim.
Can you file a car insurance claim without a police report?
After a car accident, many people ask whether they can file an accident claim without a police report. The short answer is: Yes, you can. But that does not mean it will be a smooth process. You will have to do additional work to establish your claim. The process gets slower, and the insurance payout might get reduced. Below are some of the problems that might arise if you do not file a police report.
- Issues in addressing the evidence
A police report is a piece of essential evidence that describes the accident prepared right after it occurred. The document is prepared by a police officer and includes information about both parties’ discussions and points of view of the accident. Other than police reports, there is also some alternative evidence that can help report car insurance claims mentioned below.
- Statements from drivers
- Statements from eyewitnesses
- Photographs of injuries and damages to body and vehicle
A police report also has some vital information and records that you can gather independently, such as
- Date, time, name of the place where the accident took place
- Road condition at the location
- Information on the number of vehicles involved
- Other effects
You can still file a car insurance claim without a police report, but it will likely take longer to process. It is because the insurance companies scrutinize claims that lack trustworthy information in the police reports. You may also expect to receive fewer settlement offers since the insurance company knows that you cannot go to trial due to the absence of a police report.
However, as previously mentioned, the careful collection of information related to your accident can reduce the issues when you file for a car insurance claim without a police report.