No police report?

[jrsadowski]

Hey guys my Aunt wanted me to ask this question that incident happened to her but doesnt know why the police acted this way.

My Aunt was driving through the post office parking lot and got rear-ended by an older lady. My Aunt called the police but the dispatcher said that police cannot be dispatched to government property (or something like that, I forgot what she said the dispatcher said). So with months gone by they finally found out that both parties were not at fault so they had to pay out of their own pocket for the damage. But I believe that with a police report would definetely found someone responsible for this accident.

My question is does any police officer know why exactly the police cannot be dispatched to the post office I think that would be a place for sure a police officer can go and do a police report.

Thanks in advance, guys!


BE SAFE

[Nightshift va]

The almighty police report! Insurance companies have their own investigators for situations like that. It's possible since the police in your area do not have jurisdiction on private property or federal property they didn't even send a unit because they knew it was non-reportable. I wish our department worked that way. We go to calls all the time where nothing applies to our enforcement.

[SmallCityCop]

Amen! x2.....

[L-1]

FWIW, in my state some departments will not even write a report for a crash on the city streets unless someone is injured.

What it comes down to is that the public is no longer willing to pay for doing something that is the insurance company's responsibility.

I am surprised that the insurance companies found both drivers at fault for a rear end crash. Absent other circumstances, the striking vehicle is usually regarded as having been driven at an unsafe speed for conditions and the one at fault.

[SgtCHP]

U.S. Post Offices are the property of the Federal Government and incidents or accidents that occur thereon are under the investigative authority of the FBI. However, unless there is a fatality or major injury, they will not respond.

The proper method to handle private property, damage only, accidents or incidents is to exchange information with the other party and submit that, along with a statement if occurrence, to their respective insurance companies. The insurance companies will work it out and determine fault for the purposes of coverage.

Except for deductibles, no money should come out of either parties' pocket - unless they are the at-fault party and uninsured.

That said, a lot of agencies will dispatch an officer simply to keep the peace and answer any questions that either party may have.

[JSODEP5338]

Sounds like a private property, property damage accident. Alot of departments give people the report to fill out themselves to be turned in to their insurance companies.

[CruiserClass]

Police reports don't assign fault. A traffic crash is, for the most part, a civil matter between drivers and insurance companies. In a simple property damage crash like you describe a report will have zero benefit for either driver. What it will do, at least in Indiana, is put a crash on your BMV records, create additional paperwork for you, and generate a fee for the state (as all crash reporting is now on computer and local/county departments can't give out crash reports now.)

Major crashes, injuries above "ow my neck", impaired drivers, uninsured parties, those types of crashes may require a report. Parking lot fender benders should exchange information and go on their way.

[SmallCityCop]

For PDO accidents, we use an Accident Exchange Form, where basically, the drivers switch their information with each other, and they settle it between their insurance companies. All we do is write the forms out for the drivers and give them their IR numbers. That's it.

[PhilipCal]

As has been noted, many departments,(mine included) will not respond to the type accident you mentioned.

[e-man]

Echo whatr everyone said above.
A police crash report DOES NOT PROVE ANYTHING, usually.
We didnt witness it and all we do is write what driver A said, and what driver B said.
Plus being a non-reportable crash AND on federal property, the answer was given to you by the dispatcher.

[t150vsuptpr]

If I get called to it, if on the post office parking lot, it'll be non reportable (ie: no accident report). I'll help with exchange of information as needed. I'll charge if I think the violation serious enough.

from 46.2-100

"Highway" means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way or place open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel in the Commonwealth, including the streets and alleys, and, for law-enforcement purposes, (i) the entire width between the boundary lines of all private roads or private streets that have been specifically designated "highways" by an ordinance adopted by the governing body of the county, city, or town in which such private roads or streets are located and (ii) the entire width between the boundary lines of every way or place used for purposes of vehicular travel on any property owned, leased, or controlled by the United States government and located in the Commonwealth

[jrsadowski]

Thank you guys for all your expertise.

[NBW791]

Private property - as long as it's not a hit & run, drunk driver or a fatal, nobody gets sent. Well, actually there is another exception depending on where the crash occurs. In the aisle of a parking lot, it's not reportable, but in the trafficway that goes into the lot, it's reportable.

[TexasAggieOfc]

For PDO accidents, we use an Accident Exchange Form, where basically, the drivers switch their information with each other, and they settle it between their insurance companies. All we do is write the forms out for the drivers and give them their IR numbers. That's it.

We call it a blue form here... and if the damage is under $1000 and no one was hurt, that's all your getting, even if it's in the middle of a highway. No report number, no CRB-3 (The real report form), nothing.

[TGM]

The responses here are really surprising to me. WHP will investigate any crash on private property if the damage is over $1000. Most Troopers will also complete a crash report if total damage is under $1000 if requested by one party involved, but that depends on the Trooper.

I just worked a crash on private property this week, a fire truck backed into a sheriff dept patrol SUV - well over $1000 in damage (to the patrol car, not a scratch on the Fire Truck )