#caraccident #teendriver #911 #roadawareness
Hey everyone! I hope I’m in the right place to get some advice on a situation that’s been bothering me. My 17-year-old daughter was involved in a car accident over the weekend, and things got a little strange afterward. 😟
So, here’s what happened: After the crash, her phone automatically dialed 911, which is a pretty standard feature nowadays. But when she got out of her car, the other driver—who’s 19—saw that she was on the line with emergency services, grabbed her phone, and hung up! She then handed it back to my daughter, insisting that there was no need to call anyone and that no one needed to admit fault. 🤔
My daughter, understandably a bit rattled since it was her first accident, didn’t know how to react and just took her phone back. Thankfully, she wasn’t injured, so there wasn’t an immediate need for 911. But this whole interaction felt really shady to me. I mean, why would someone try to stop a call to emergency services? It just raises so many red flags!
- Feeling Vulnerable: Accidents can be super overwhelming, especially for a young driver. It’s tough to think clearly in that moment.
- The Importance of Reporting: Not reporting such behavior can misrepresent the facts for insurance claims later on.
- Trust Issues: When another driver acts suspiciously, it can create unneeded stress and skepticism about their intentions.
This incident wasn’t reported to the officer at the scene, and I only learned about it last night. Now I’m wondering what steps to take next. 🤷♂️ Should I file a report with the police about this strange behavior, or is it better to just let it go? I’d love to hear any advice from those who might have gone through something similar.
Have any of you experienced a bizarre situation after an accident? What did you do? Any tips for handling the aftermath of a crash would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance for your help! 🙏
While shady, it’s probably not illegal. But it’s an indication that this person cannot be trusted, and you should not attempt to deal with them directly. Hand things off to your insurance company.
You know, it does no harm to simply report this to the police and to YOUR insurance provider. Do not talk to theirs (they will call you, just say you don’t want to and don’t legally have to talk to them and hang up). Maybe nothing comes of it. Maybe something does. Better to make it known now and have it not matter, rather than wait and need this documentation later. Hope everyone is okay.
His actions were illegal. Call the police non-emergency line and report it. See: Texas Penal Code – PENAL § 42.062. Interference with Emergency Request for Assistance
I am glad your daughter wasn’t physically hurt and am sorry your daughter went through this. I am sure she was very shook up and that other person temporarily stealing her phone and trying to bully her in to not calling the police didn’t help matters.
She is very fortunate an officer ended up responding to the scene because the other driver sounds shady.
As much as the situation stinks there are some things to ultimately be thankful for.
Good luck in however you decide to move forward.
If your daughter got a plate number , or name and phone number you can still file a police report
There’s a possibility maybe the other driver didn’t have insurance or they could have been intoxicated or on drugs. Did your daughter say anything or notice if the drivers behaviors was as if they were intoxicated ?
Definitely tell your insurance provider, and have your daughter call the non-emergency line and ask to add it to the police report.
While it’s technically a crime in Texas, there is no guarantee it will be prosecuted – however, if the officer found other things that could plausibly be prosecuted, that behavior might influence the choice of whether it gets prosecuted or not. It will also look bad for the other party if there are questions on insurance.
Is there any other evidence they did this? Witnesses, a dash cam, etc?
Pretty sure it’s always a crime to interfere with a 911 call
In the 1st place, grabbing a phone out a stranger’s hand could be considered robbery.
I honestly don’t see anything super odd about this. A lot of teenagers where I lived would do things outside of insurance and the police because it would raise the prices of their insurance. I would stay out of it. I don’t think the girl was bullying her and was equally as shook up and scared.
Just a heads up making somebody hang up on 911 is a felony. My buddy is in jail for it. They may not do anything, but you should report this to the police as a crime.
So she didn’t call the police to report it why ?
If there is already a police report, which is sounds like there is, have her call the precinct and amend the report to explain that. Insurance company -may- take that detail info in assigning fault.
Lesson for parents, talk to your kids about what to say and do when in an accident.
I was rear ended by a young girl and she did everything wrong, I went into dad mode and we exchanged information (later her dad tried to get me to say he was driving, even though he wasn’t in the vehicle…my insurance company loved that.
My son was in an accident (he wasn’t at fault) but he contacted us and we reminded him not to admit fault and to get a copy of the driver license and insurance card and to take lots of photos of both cars. As it was a significant accident, the police and fire department were there when we showed up.
It’s called obstruction of justice.
911 can give tickets to either or both parties that they find at fault whereas if one person acknowledges that they are at fault then you just put it to the insurance.
They were possibly trying to save their ass from a ticket on top of the insurance deductible and up charges on their insurance premium
911 will always call back. If they cannot reach you, they are sending an officer to investigate. I’ve been in the emergency business for 40 years.
All the cities I’ve lived in would rather people call the non emergency line if no one is hurt in an accident as they want to keep the 911 operators focused on emergencies where lives are at stake. One state I lived in had signs along the highway telling those who get in crashes to pull their vehicles off the road (when possible) and call a specific number that was not 911. The state I live in now is the same, but without signage. I had someone hit my car, neither of us were hurt. I called 911 and while they said they sent police they also told me to call non emergency if something like that happens again.
Having said that I understand why she called 911 as that’s the number we all remember in an emergency (which to most of us a car crash is even without an injury). I’m glad an officer was nearby as they should always be involved to take statements and if applicable give citations.
I don’t think going to the police about this would yield any results given the lack of injury, but you could call them anyways as there’s nothing for you to lose by doing so.
Interfering with 911 calls in a lot of places is a crime. Unlikely it will be prosecuted over a wreck without injuries especially since it sounds like a cop showed up anyway.