Do You Have to Report Accidents in Wisconsin?

If you were to be involved in a car accident in Wisconsin, it could be in your best interest to report the incident promptly to the police. However, you do have a 10-day window in which you can file a police report.

There are also situations in which it would be mandatory under state law for you to notify the police. If you believe that you could be in violation of this law, you may want to look at the details of your case before taking action.

Police reports have the potential to become important evidence in any legal action you would want to pursue based on the events of your collision. Partly because of this, as explained on FindLaw, Wisconsin mandates accident reporting under the following conditions:

• Any injury or death
• Over $200 worth of damage to government property
• Over $1000 worth of damage to private property, such as cars

However, there are some cases in which you may not know that you had an incident that qualified for the mandatory police report. This is often the case with traumatic brain injuries.

You may not necessarily know right away if you suffered a TBI. The same could be true about certain spinal injuries. These and other types of trauma have the potential to create injuries with symptoms that do not display immediately. As a result, it is generally wise to take any suspicion of injury seriously.

Apart from filing a police report, it is important you take care of your health if you have a suspected injury. Seeking prompt medical attention could not only give you a better chance of recovery but also could provide additional documentation to support your injury claim.

Every situation and every injury is different. Please do not use this article as legal advice. It is only general information.