What to do if I was in a car accident but the police would not respond to my call?
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What to do if I was in a car accident but the police would not respond to my call?
I called 911 and I was crying. I asked for a police officer numerous times and the operator would not send me one. She insisted that I collect the information myself. I was crying and shaken up but I had no choice. I got out of my car with my driver’s license and registration. I picked up their license plate that was on the ground and began to write down the numbers when the passenger of the other car attacked me. He was trying to get the license plate back and I was literally afraid for my life. I called 911 again screaming but still nobody was sent. Do I have a case against the police department for not responding to my call for an officer? All of this could have been avoided had they sent an officer when I first asked.
Asked on May 27, 2013 under Accident Law, Maryland
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 10 years ago | Contributor
No, you would not seem to have a case. 911 emergency services are responsible for responding to emergencies--not for collecting information for insurance/claim purposes when an accident was not an emergency. What you were asking them to do was outside of 911's responsibility. Furthermore, the police are not responsible when someone else chooses to break the law and act in a criminal sense.
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