Among Friends

[proudlyfromNJ]

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@DJs mom wrote:

@Carmie @CrazyDaisy I live in a big city and our police stations are open 24/7. You can go in at any time of the day or night. Police here do not respond to fender benders, etc where no one is hurt. You are told to exchange information with the other driver if you can and come to the police station to file a report.

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@DJs mom  Our police stations have a number of towns they are in charge of depending on location. They are all open 24 hours.

[Carmie]

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@DJs mom wrote:

@Carmie @CrazyDaisy I live in a big city and our police stations are open 24/7. You can go in at any time of the day or night. Police here do not respond to fender benders, etc where no one is hurt. You are told to exchange information with the other driver if you can and come to the police station to file a report.

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In PA, we do not have to call the police for non reportable accidents.  If there are no injuries, or damage to property ( other than the vehicles involved) we just exchange info. There is no reason to visit the police station at any time to file a report.  The acccident is not reportable.  No report is needed.

Often the police must be called because someone is drunk, or refuses to exchange info ( usually they have no insurance) or there is property damage...fence or light pole, for instance.

The police stations do not have a receptionist 24/7 and police officers are not in the office to receive walk- ins. You have to go during regular business hours.

In some areas, the state police service the area.  If you want them, you must call.  Their offices are open only during regular business hours as well.

I personally would never walk in to report a reportable accident.  If I am hit by a drunk driver or someone who refuses to give me info, I want a police officer there. The same If I have injuries.

The police must show up for a reportable accident.  It is their job.

A few years ago, a guy driving extremely fast with his lights off at night t boned me after I stopped at a stop sign and was making a left turn.  I never saw him even after he hit me....he continued on for another 300 ft before he could stop.

Someone called the police.  They showed up.  There were no injuries, but my car was totaled and needed to be towed.

the other driver said I went through the stop sign...I did after I stopped and didn't see him, but he claimed his lights were on.  I had no idea his lights were off, but there were two witnesses in another car that said his lights were off.

He got charged with the accident, but took a hearing to contest it.  Thanks goodness the police officer on the scene, checked his car.  He found that his lights were not on before the accident.

Apparently, when your lights are on and you hit your breaks, the light bulbs change shape, they elongate.  This does not happen becausen his bulbs are cold.  Anyhow,  the police officer said his lights were not on.   I don't understand this, but the police who work accidents do.

He was held responsible for the accident and his insurance paid my claim and he was charged with a bunch of violations.

No way Would I just leave the scene..even though it was legal and report it at the station.  Of course, my police officer husband showed up at the scene because I called him ( off duty) 

He also has been in a few non reportable accidents and he called the police, unless it was a mild fender bender in a parking lot.

Bottom line...people don't tell the truth.  You could be held responsible for something that wasn't your fault...your word against theirs.

I do not want my insurance to go up for an accident that wasn't my fault.

[Sage04]

I've always known people to call the Police when there is an accident. Wouldn't you prefer to have a report for the Insurance Company?

[Mustang Shar]

The Sergeant has been on vacation and it took almost 2 weeks to obtain the necessary report because it was hit and run. Report states she did it 5 days prior! Why didn't I notice it? Because my Stang is normally in the garage. When in the driveway, the damage is so low to the ground, not noticeable when walking from the rear to the door as I'm looking to place my thumb on the door handle to open the car. 

Never ever occurred that my neighbor would do this and not contact me at all. When I read that she did it five days ago, I was shocked and disturbed a neighbor could do it.

In my case, I felt it was a non emergency therefore I went to the PD station. My late husband was also a policeman. The only way I found out was the Officer did interview her. So perhaps I should have just called while I went to the body shop to get estimates.

that's all folks 

[sunshine45]

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@Carmie wrote:

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@nana59 wrote:

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@Teddixat wrote:

@nana59   so,r police departments won't come to your house unless it's something serious.

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wow....i never knew that.....

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That's because it isn't true.  Police have to respond to every call...that is their job.

They will respond to emergency calls first, so they might not be there within a few minutes, but they will show up.

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this is not necessarily true.....or it may depend on the state?

if someone hits your car in a say grocery parking lot and you call the police, they  will NOT come out for that. i have tried that before. you take the photos, right down pertinent information, and call your own insurance company since you have no idea who hit your car. same thing often happens if two cars backed up into each other in a parking lot. no ones fault in that instance and police wont come out for something like that, even if you call.

[suzyQ3]

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@sunshine45 wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

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@nana59 wrote:

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@Teddixat wrote:

@nana59   so,r police departments won't come to your house unless it's something serious.

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wow....i never knew that.....

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That's because it isn't true.  Police have to respond to every call...that is their job.

They will respond to emergency calls first, so they might not be there within a few minutes, but they will show up.

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this is not necessarily true.....or it may depend on the state?

if someone hits your car in a say grocery parking lot and you call the police, they  will NOT come out for that. i have tried that before. you take the photos, right down pertinent information, and call your own insurance company since you have no idea who hit your car. same thing often happens if two cars backed up into each other in a parking lot. no ones fault in that instance and police wont come out for something like that, even if you call.

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Funny you should mention that example, @sunshine45 I was an that same situation, and the police came within ten minutes. I think is a matter of locale: We live in a very small city.

[Mj12]

It has to depend on your locale.  

I got into a fender bender a few months ago in a grocery store parking lot, it was my fault.  I called the non-emergency police number, and 2 cops came within 10 minutes.  I just wanted a police report documenting everything.  

[Sage04]

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@Mustang Shar wrote:

The Sergeant has been on vacation and it took almost 2 weeks to obtain the necessary report because it was hit and run. Report states she did it 5 days prior! Why didn't I notice it? Because my Stang is normally in the garage. When in the driveway, the damage is so low to the ground, not noticeable when walking from the rear to the door as I'm looking to place my thumb on the door handle to open the car. 

Never ever occurred that my neighbor would do this and not contact me at all. When I read that she did it five days ago, I was shocked and disturbed a neighbor could do it.

In my case, I felt it was a non emergency therefore I went to the PD station. My late husband was also a policeman. The only way I found out was the Officer did interview her. So perhaps I should have just called while I went to the body shop to get estimates.

that's all folks

Wow, five days? So the neighbor had no intention of telling you. I'm sure if you had gone shopping, you would have thought that it happened in the parking lot.

Don't miss the Court date, when the time comes.

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