Tiger Woods and accident scene responsibility

[angler]

I'm sure everyone has heard of Tiger's single car accident with a fire plug and a tree in his own yard.  Why on earth was he ticketed?  Why on earth why would he even report it?

If I lost control of my truck when backing into my driveway and took out my fence, am I obligated to call the cops?

What if I loose control of my truck and strike a tree alongside the road and am able to drive away or at least able to recover the vehicle on my own.  Am I obligated to notify the authorities?

In my youth (20 years ago) I overshot a corner on 89A between Sedona and Flagstaff in a Saab 900 turbo going way too fast.  I spun out and hit a cliff totaling the car.  I never called the cops.  I called my insurance company and a tow truck.  The car sat on the shoulder overnight.  Did I break the law? 

[bluemoco]

I'm sure everyone has heard of Tiger's single car accident with a fire plug and a tree in his own yard.  Why on earth was he ticketed?  Why on earth why would he even report it?

If I lost control of my truck when backing into my driveway and took out my fence, am I obligated to call the cops?

What if I loose control of my truck and strike a tree alongside the road and am able to drive away or at least able to recover the vehicle on my own.  Am I obligated to notify the authorities?

In my youth (20 years ago) I overshot a corner on 89A between Sedona and Flagstaff in a Saab 900 turbo going way too fast.  I spun out and hit a cliff totaling the car.  I never called the cops.  I called my insurance company and a tow truck.  The car sat on the shoulder overnight.  Did I break the law? 

The cops are involved because Tiger's neighbors called 911.  Careless driving will probably cost him $250 + the cost of fixing the fire plug.  Tiger just surpassed $1billion in career earnings, so I don't think this $250 ticket will make a big dent in his pocketbook.

I suspect that there's a bit more to this story than "Tiger recklessly backed out of his driveway" -- it was likely some sort of domestic disturbance.  Lots of conjecture now on how his wife may have been chasing him down the driveway with a driver and smashed the windows while he was makin' a getaway.  The ever-reliable National Enquirer has already claimed Woods is gettin' some on the side with a NY night club hostess.  In general, though, this whole thing will be swept under the rug soon.

If you lost control of your car and did some property damage as a result, you'd certainly be liable for the cost of fixing whatever you broke.  Hitting a cliff?  Not much to be liable for in that scenario, as long as no one is hurt. 

Didn't your insurance co. want a police report when you totaled your car?

[derby]

I'm sure everyone has heard of Tiger's single car accident with a fire plug and a tree in his own yard.  Why on earth was he ticketed?  Why on earth why would he even report it?

it might have something to do with being unconscious and needing an ambulance ride to the hospital.

[bluemoco]

Good editorial about the Tiger episode on espn.com:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=4700875&sportCat=golf

[angler]

Didn't your insurance co. want a police report when you totaled your car?

Nope.  I didn't call the insurance until I hitched a ride back to my house.  They didn't care.  The agent actually coached me to get a tow truck down there before the car was flagged or ticketed.  I actually made like $3k when they totaled it.

it might have something to do with being unconscious and needing an ambulance ride to the hospital.

That changes things.  I did not know he was unconscious.

[Triple J]

Running over a fire hydrant probably gets the police called as well.

[angler]

To my point then, are you only required to call the cops if you damage property that is not yours? 

[Triple J]

To my point then, are you only required to call the cops if you damage property that is not yours? 

I would say public property. If you run into your neighbor's house there is no need to call the cops if your neighbor is OK with not doing so.

[Kopfjäger]

I actually made like $3k when they totaled it.

So, You made money off of the insurance co. for being irresponsible?. 

[angler]

So, You made money off of the insurance co. for being irresponsible?. 

Book value of the car when I totaled it was $6500.  I bought the car for $3500 about 6 months before.  Nothing shady there, just mad negotiating skills at time of purchase.

Don't tell me you never drove too fast for conditions when you were 19......

[Kopfjäger]

Don't tell me you never drove too fast for conditions when you were 19......

Never said that, but I never ran off the road and totaled a car, left the scene of an at fault accident and let the insurance co. pay for my mistake.

[zarn02]

I don't think hitting a tree needs to involve the police in any way.

I've dropped a bike before, due to being young(er) and stupid(er) and since nobody else was involved and I wasn't seriously hurt I saw no reason to deal with the hassle and paperwork and invasion of privacy.

And as long as insurance provides coverage on the basis of assumed value and not purchase price, the possibility of someone profiting from the arrangement is a business risk they face.

[Triple J]

And as long as insurance provides coverage on the basis of assumed value and not purchase price, the possibility of someone profiting from the arrangement is a business risk they face.

+1

Besides, insurance companies screw people over all the time when it comes to assumed value of a vehicle. They couldn't care less what you owe, or paid...just what they think it is worth.

[angler]

Never said that, but I never ran off the road and totaled a car, left the scene of an at fault accident and let the insurance co. pay for my mistake.

I'm not really sure WTF insurance is for then.  'Splain it to me.......

I started this thread to determine where legal responsibility lies in this case.  Neither my insurance agent nor the tow truck driver thought that I had left the scene or done anything illegal.  I was actually on scene for several hours trying to figure out how I was going to get home.  The car was on scene for 12 hours plus.  At any time I could have been issued a citation or at the very least a "get it off the shoulder" orange sticker.  This was in the days before cell phones and I was 10+ miles from any pay phone.  That said, I wasn't really looking to have the law involved.

How many people on this board have lowsided on a public road, shoveled the pieces into a passerby's truck and called their insurance company when they got home?  How is this different?  

Insurance ameliorates risk.  Built into my premium are risk factors for age and type of vehicle, etc.  I have paid my dues and I have never had an accident that involved another car.  That is actually the only insurance claim I have ever made that didn't involve my ex-wife driving.

[VisceralReaction]

In Idaho I am pretty sure it's law that if the damage to the vehicle is more than $500 there needs
to be a police report filed.
At least that's what the cops told me when I was in an accident in my teens and left the scene.