Can You File a Police Report Days After an Accident?

We spend hours of our lives on the open road, but we often forget the risks that can come with driving. Accidents are more frequent and common than we like to believe. In fact, it’s quite likely that each one of us will be in at least one accident during our lifetimes.

As such, it’s important to understand what steps you need to take filing an accident. If you hope to obtain compensation and relief under the law for damages done, you need to obtain a police report. Some people don’t realize this until it is too late.

Can you file a police report days after an accident? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.

Following an Accident

An accident can be shocking and surprising. You never see one coming (obviously) and so the incident, even if it is minor, can be a rattle to the body and brain. It’s hard to think straight in these scenarios, but it’s important that you get your head on straight and take immediate action. 

Knowing what to do following a car accident can be the difference between a bright future and a terrible one.

First, you’ll need to check on yourself and the vehicle. Have you sustained any injuries? Are you hurt? Even if your immediate answer is no, you need to take the time to really check up on yourself. The adrenaline from accidents often can mask pain, and it’s easy to miss out on injuries that will only reveal themselves to you later.

Following that, you should check on the health of the other driver and of your vehicle. You should take photos of the scene of the accident and any damage. And you should ensure the police come and complete a police report.

Why Is This All-Important?

If you’ve been injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, you deserve compensation under the law. Repairing property damage to your car or dealing with the medical bills resulting from injuries can be financially debilitating.

In order to prove that you deserve this compensation, an attorney will need to be able to prove that this damage had occurred and that the other driver involved was at fault.

Photos, witness statements, and police reports are essential in creating a record of what happened at the accident. These are key evidence points in establishing fault and damage in an accident. Failure to obtain them could lead to you losing your case.

Can You File a Police Report Days After an Accident? 

There are many reasons why a driver might not get a police report at the scene of the crime. You may think initially that no damage to yourself or car has been sustained, so you decide not to call the police, for example.

This is a big mistake, as you might discover later damage was present.

You can call a police station and make a report later on. The police will walk you through this process, and it can still be a helpful piece of evidence to have in your case. That being said, it will be a weaker source of evidence than it could be since the police weren’t present at the scene of the accident.

Following a Car Accident

The steps you take following an accident, like getting photos and obtaining a police report, can be key. But what if you’ve made a mistake and forgotten to get these? Can you file a police report days after an accident? 

The above information should help. Check out our blog for more legal advice and tips.