What information should I gather when involved in an auto accident with an uninsured motorist?

California: My friend was involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist. The uninsured was at fault and stopped. My friend gathered some information (Name, address, drivers license, license plate, and phone number). However, the uninsured motorist isn't answering her phone and is not reachable. Property damages incurred to my friend's car amounts to a thousand dollars.





My question is: What should my friend have done in this situation in the future? Should she have called the police at the scene of the accident?|||In the case of an accident where there is damage to a vehicle you always call the police to come out and do a police report. The first thing your insurance agent or company is going to ask for is a police report. It has all the dynamics of the accident - this is a legal document that can be taken to court to pursue money to pay for damages to the vehicle or the person if they are injured.





The person that hit your friend can deny this accident ever happened. There is nothing that your friend can really do to prove that the accident happened on that respective day, at that respective time, and by that respective person unless there is video / or pictures with time and date stamp or something to that effect.





It seems your friend has learned a valuable lesson. In the case of an accident always call law enforcement. I have seen minor accidents where there was not physical damage. However, the person called the police to do a police report. You cannot assume that the other person will be honorable if their is damage that is revealed later and was not seen initially (some one hits your card hard in the wheel area - you see now big damage - your able to drive home park your car - you get in it an hour later to go somewhere and the wheel is wobbling about to fall of).





In a nutshell:


Your friend should have got on her cell phone and called the police and informed them that there was an accident in which some one hit her (or vice versa) and her location. They (911 dispatcher) will ask you if anyone is hurt and do you need emergency services - you respond according to the situation.





Your friend should always call for police at the scene of an accident. Insurance will require a police report as a primary documentation regarding this incident. Otherwise the other party can claim it never happened / and that you must have been hit by some one else and not them. But, the police officer will require them to have and show driver's lic and proof of insurance.|||most definetly should have called the police, ESPECIALLY with an uninsured motorist, that way there a case report can be made, the officer can be an unbias outside source to determine who was at fault, and there is proof on paper of this person being involved, if she isn't answering her phone all your friend really can do is go to the police and make a report, and then sue|||Any time an uninsured motorist is involved call the police to get an accident report. She should have an uninsured motorist clause on her policy ,call insurance co. with all info and see what happens.|||Your friend did the right thing. In many cities in CA police will not come out anyways unless someone is hurt. They will just tell you to exchange information just like your friend did.





If you friend has collision coverage or uninsured motorist coverage on their car insurance your friend should put in a claim with their insurance company. The accident will not count against them since it was not your friends fault.





If your friend does not have collision coverage or uninsured motorist insurance, their only option is to sue that person in small claims court for their damages.





I hope your friend has collision or uninsured motorist coverage. Tell your friend to call their insurance company and put in the claim ASAP.|||Hopefully your friend has collision coverage and reports it to his carrier. Otherwise he has no other recourse than to get estimates and take the case to small claims court. Driving w/o insurance is illegal so the police should have been notified. Uninsured motorists increase all of our insurance rates.


Pease note, most uninsured motorist coverages only protect the insured for bodily injury caused by the uninsured not property damage. This varies by state.