Reporting an accident

TriniAutoMart · Postby **TriniAutoMart** » November 28th, 2014, 10:48 am

What is the law regarding the reporting of an accident in terms of the following:
1. Does the accident have to be reported to the nearest police station or can it be reported at any station?
2. How much time do you have to report the accident?

neoise · Postby **neoise** » November 28th, 2014, 10:59 am

As far as I understand its:
- 24hrs to report the accident to the Police
- 1 week to report it to your Insurance company.

There was some talk a while ago that you can go to any police station to report any incident - not sure if this pertains to accidents also.

src1983 · Postby **src1983** » November 28th, 2014, 11:00 am

From my knowledge, the station closest and must be reported at the earliest possible time

TriniAutoMart · Postby **TriniAutoMart** » November 28th, 2014, 11:09 am

neoise wrote:As far as I understand its:
- 24hrs to report the accident to the Police
- 1 week to report it to your Insurance company.

There was some talk a while ago that you can go to any police station to report any incident - not sure if this pertains to accidents also.

I've been hearing this talk as well.
Can anyone confirm?

salvation4U · Postby **salvation4U** » November 28th, 2014, 11:13 am

No

The location where the accident took place has to be within the police station jurisdiction, which is not necessarily the closest.

Is better you call them

Dizzy28 · Postby **Dizzy28** » November 28th, 2014, 11:22 am

TriniAutoMart wrote:
neoise wrote:As far as I understand its:
- 24hrs to report the accident to the Police
- 1 week to report it to your Insurance company.

There was some talk a while ago that you can go to any police station to report any incident - not sure if this pertains to accidents also.

I've been hearing this talk as well.
Can anyone confirm?

Gibbs and them 21st Century Policing was supposed to allow any station reporting. Guess that went back Canada with them.

sliderz1 · Postby **sliderz1** » November 28th, 2014, 11:50 am

i made a report at another station with the officer telling me it'd take a week to transfer the document to the correct station if i was willing to wait.

earliest time...yes. but no limit as far as days go

TriniAutoMart · Postby **TriniAutoMart** » November 28th, 2014, 12:15 pm

sliderz1 wrote:i made a report at another station with the officer telling me it'd take a week to transfer the document to the correct station if i was willing to wait.

earliest time...yes. but no limit as far as days go

So you are saying I can make a report at any station and they have to take my report.

sliderz1 · Postby **sliderz1** » November 28th, 2014, 12:21 pm

i did.

K74T · Postby **K74T** » November 28th, 2014, 12:23 pm

Was involved in an accident last year which happened on the stretch in Debe right after MS, had to report it in San Fernando.

/cs,b

Numb3r4 · Postby **Numb3r4** » November 28th, 2014, 1:09 pm

You have within 24hrs to report the incident to the Police.
It should be reported to the nearest Police station within the jurisdiction of the accident.
You can go to which ever Police station to make the report however they will just phone in the report to the appropriate station. It is in your interest to go to that station and verify the details.

With regards to your insurance, as soon as you have made the police report go the insurers.

Postby **nervewrecker** » November 28th, 2014, 1:18 pm

The 24 hours time window is not set in stone.
Officer Haddai of the South Oropouche station verified that for me. He did say however that sooner is always better.

That's one a of the few good police I met.

Numb3r4 · Postby **Numb3r4** » November 28th, 2014, 1:27 pm

Really because I was told by a Police officer that I have to report within 24hrs.

Postby **nervewrecker** » November 28th, 2014, 1:47 pm

Yup, he confirmed with the senior officer.

The accident I was in, almost 24 hours had elapsed. He allowed me to come in next day but I came without the other party, said both of us had to be there and we agreed to come the next day and the officer was still willing to take the report.
We end up settling outside.

rollingstock · Postby **rollingstock** » November 28th, 2014, 2:26 pm

What a pile of bullsheit you all were led to believe.

You can report at ANY station!
I would however advise against that;
1. It takes a while for the forms to be sent to the proper station.
2. An investigator has to be appointed at that station.
3. For redress you cannot go back to the station it was reported at.
4. All pertinent facts are not always taken because they would not be investigating.

All this leads to a long delay. It would be better to report at the station where it occurred so that you can deal with the investigator one on one and that there are no discrepancies.

WRT the time limit the law states immediately OR as soon as possible. You can be charged for failing to report an accident before 24hrs passes depending on the circumstances.

If you don't believe ask officer bullfoot at the Cowpen station

Numb3r4 · Postby **Numb3r4** » November 28th, 2014, 3:19 pm

rollingstock makes sense and this was what I had believed until I had to go through the process first hand.

It does raise other questions though;
We can sit and chat here online, we can email and text with ease and yet the POLICE DON'T have a centralized database where they can exchange report information instantaneously.

I'm thinking a more formal system of email (MICROSOFT OUTLOOK) tailored for the police. Why do we have to wait for "papers" to be transferred. Literally "papers"!!!

ismithx · Postby **ismithx** » November 28th, 2014, 3:30 pm

^^ that

rollingstock · Postby **rollingstock** » November 28th, 2014, 3:39 pm

Who says there isn't Outlook in place :lol:

Together with a Versadex system

But for the police, paper is evidence and the only reliable medium in case the courts get involved.

ismithx · Postby **ismithx** » November 28th, 2014, 4:18 pm

`sigh
need to update legislation yesterday

desifemlove · Postby **desifemlove** » November 28th, 2014, 6:30 pm

surely any crime anywhere in the de country you can report to a police station....doh if ah accident happen in town, and yuh live in Couva, yuh have to report it to Central, city or Besson St?

rollingstock · Postby **rollingstock** » November 28th, 2014, 7:42 pm

^ English?

Postby **nervewrecker** » November 28th, 2014, 10:46 pm

Actually the dude did say something about we can be penalised for reporting late but given the circumstances how we both working he was willing to let us come back.
The officer was very accommodating.

Postby **~VēġÃ³~** » November 29th, 2014, 4:45 am

prays everyday to be safe and not be involved in any accident....

Fighting the autoprune...but losing....

Numb3r4 · Postby **Numb3r4** » December 6th, 2014, 7:00 pm

nervewrecker is right you can be penalised for reporting after the 24hrs. window has elapsed.

rollingstock · Postby **rollingstock** » December 7th, 2014, 2:09 am

^ smh dude can't read yes, or did duane mae all my posts in the invisible ink again

src1983 · Postby **src1983** » December 7th, 2014, 8:41 am

Numb3r4 wrote:nervewrecker is right you can be penalised for reporting after the 24hrs. window has elapsed.

There is no 24hr limit, the accident must be reported as soon as possible, meaning if you get in an accident and persons are hurt, after they are taken for medical care then you go to report it

If no one is hurt, proceed to the nearest police station and report

Numb3r4 · Postby **Numb3r4** » December 20th, 2014, 10:08 pm

src1983 wrote:
Numb3r4 wrote:nervewrecker is right you can be penalised for reporting after the 24hrs. window has elapsed.

There is no 24hr limit, the accident must be reported as soon as possible, meaning if you get in an accident and persons are hurt, after they are taken for medical care then you go to report it

If no one is hurt, proceed to the nearest police station and report

Really because I was told by the officer as I was sitting in the station that I can be prosecuted for failure to report the accident within the allotted 24hr. period following the accident.

This is what I don't understand we have GISL and all they seem to report is how many roads and/or bridges the government has built.

Why can't they put up an informative documentary about the proper procedures for dealing with government institutions and situations involving government institutions???????????????

WHY?
WHY?
WHY has no one else thought of that?