How to Build an Auto Claim When the Police Did Not Make a Report

The short answer: You can often file, but that does not settle the claim

You can often report an auto accident and open an insurance claim without a police report, particularly after a minor collision. The usual first steps remain much the same: notify the insurer, identify the people and vehicles involved, describe what happened, and submit available evidence. Progressive, for example, says a driver can file a car insurance claim without a police report, although a report may help substantiate the account and speed the process (Progressive’s claim guidance).

This answer applies specifically to auto-accident claims. Theft, vandalism, homeowners, renters, and other claims may have different police-notification conditions and are outside this article’s scope.

For an auto accident, separate three questions:

1. Can you open the claim? Often, yes. An insurer may accept notice, create a claim file, and assign a claim number without an officer-prepared report.
2. Did the law or policy require a separate report? Possibly. State or local law may require police notification or a driver-filed crash report in specified circumstances. The policy may impose its own notice, cooperation, or hit-and-run conditions.
3. Can the available evidence establish the claim? The insurer still must evaluate coverage, vehicle and driver involvement, how the collision occurred, whether the claimed damage or injuries resulted from it, and the amount of the loss.

It does not mean the insurer has confirmed coverage, accepted your account, assigned fault, approved repairs, or promised payment.

A police report can make the investigation easier by collecting participant information, initial statements, scene conditions, visible damage, and an officer’s observations in one place. It remains supporting evidence, however. It does not guarantee coverage or payment, and an officer’s preliminary assessment does not conclusively determine legal fault.

Without a report, the task is to build a reliable substitute record—not something that merely looks official. Provide organized, consistent evidence that allows the adjuster to investigate the event and connect each requested payment to the claimed covered loss.

Requirements may depend on:

• The wording of the policy
• The insurer’s procedures
• The state and locality
• Whether you are claiming under your policy or another driver’s policy
• The coverage involved
• Whether anyone was injured
• Whether a driver left the scene
• The nature and extent of the damage
• Whether the participants disagree about what happened

This article provides general education, not legal, medical, or insurance advice. Coverage and claim requirements depend on the policy and jurisdiction, as explained in Insurance Roster’s general-information notice and educational-use terms. Verify the actual policy language, follow the insurer’s current instructions, and check current official state and local requirements.

Four separate reporting questions people often confuse

“Reporting an accident” can refer to several different actions. They are not interchangeable.

1. Did an officer create a police report?

An officer-generated report usually follows police attendance or investigation. Depending on local practice, it may identify the drivers and vehicles, describe the location and conditions, record statements, note citations, diagram the collision, or summarize the officer’s observations.

Even when officers respond, they may not create the full collision report a driver expects. The department might instead produce an incident number, call record, exchange sheet, or another limited record. Ask what was created, who maintains it, and how to obtain a copy.

2. Must the driver notify police?

A legal duty to contact law enforcement is separate from an insurer’s willingness to open a claim. Current jurisdiction-specific law determines whether reporting is mandatory.

Police or emergency contact is particularly important when a crash involves injury or death, a hit-and-run, suspected impairment, major apparent damage, public-property damage, a disabled vehicle, or an active traffic hazard. Reporting triggers, definitions, responsible agencies, and deadlines vary by state and locality (Mercury’s overview of police-report considerations).

Do not rely on a damage threshold or deadline taken from another state. Do not assume a collision is legally minor merely because the vehicle remains drivable or the damage initially looks limited.

3. Must the driver submit a state crash or motor-vehicle report?

Some jurisdictions require a driver to submit a form to a motor-vehicle agency after specified accidents. That is not necessarily the same as calling police, and the resulting document is not necessarily an officer’s investigative report.

A driver-filed form records information supplied by a participant. It may satisfy an administrative requirement or establish when the account was submitted, but it cannot reproduce what an officer would have observed at the scene.

California illustrates why the records must be kept separate. Its official accident guide distinguishes police notification, qualifying DMV reporting, and insurance notice. Those are different steps with different purposes, and California’s procedures should not be treated as nationwide rules (California Department of Insurance accident guide).

For the crash jurisdiction, check current information from the relevant motor-vehicle agency, insurance department, law-enforcement agency, or statute. Confirm:

• Which accidents are reportable
• Which agency has jurisdiction
• Whether police contact and a driver-filed form are separate requirements
• Which form applies
• How the form must be submitted
• What supporting information is required
• The applicable deadline

4. Did you notify the insurer?

The insurer’s internal claim file is a fourth record. Giving notice ordinarily means telling the company that an accident occurred and that you may seek coverage or payment. The insurer may then issue a claim number, assign an adjuster, request evidence, inspect the vehicle, interview participants, and evaluate coverage or liability.

Insurance notice does not necessarily satisfy a duty to notify police or submit a state crash form. Conversely, notifying police does not notify the insurer.

Review the complete policy, not only the declarations page or insurance card.

Keep another deadline separate as well: the deadline for filing a lawsuit. Policy notice requirements, police-reporting deadlines, motor-vehicle filing deadlines, and civil limitation periods serve different purposes. Meeting one does not necessarily satisfy another, and ongoing insurance negotiations should not be treated as confirmation that a legal deadline has been preserved.

What to do now: a practical first-24-hours plan

If the accident just happened, use the following sequence. If more time has passed, begin now and record accurately when each later action occurred.

Put safety before evidence

Seek emergency assistance for injuries, fire, leaking fuel, threatening conduct, suspected impairment, a dangerous obstruction, or another active hazard. Move out of danger only when it is safe and lawful to do so. Documentation matters, but it does not take priority over immediate safety or appropriate medical assistance; official accident guidance likewise puts stopping safely and calling emergency services for injuries first (California Department of Insurance post-accident guidance).

Do not enter moving traffic to photograph debris, marks, or vehicle positions. If you cannot document something safely, note that limitation later.

Notify the insurer promptly

Use the telephone number, app, website, agent, or other claim channel identified on the insurance card or in the policy. Do not wait to determine whether a police record exists.

Give a direct initial account:

• Date, approximate time, and location
• Drivers and vehicles involved
• What you personally observed
• Known property damage
• Known injuries or symptoms
• Whether police were contacted or attended
• Whether another driver left or refused information
• Whether towing or secure storage is needed

If information is unknown, say so. You can supplement the claim later.

Write a dated factual account

As soon as practical, record the event chronologically. Include:

• Date and time
• Exact location or nearest address
• Road, lane, parking aisle, or property area
• Each vehicle’s direction of travel
• Traffic signals, signs, markings, or other controls
• Weather, visibility, lighting, and road conditions
• Vehicle positions before and after impact
• What you saw, heard, and did
• Points of impact and visible damage
• Relevant conversations
• When symptoms or mechanical problems were first noticed

Separate observation from inference. “I saw the vehicle cross the center line” describes an observation. “The driver must have been texting” is speculation unless you actually observed conduct you can describe accurately.

Date the account and preserve the first version. If you later remember another detail, add a dated supplement rather than silently rewriting the original.

Exchange and verify information

When it is safe, collect:

• Each driver’s full name and contact information
• Driver’s-license information
• Insurer and policy information
• Vehicle owner information, if different from the driver
• Vehicle make, model, and color
• Registration information
• License-plate number
• Passenger names and contact details

Photograph documents when permitted, but write down the essential information as well. A blurry image or lost device should not eliminate the only copy.

Photograph context before details

Begin with wide views showing the road or parking area, travel paths, vehicle positions, intersection, signs, traffic controls, lane markings, nearby structures, debris, lighting, and weather.

Then photograph:

• Each vehicle and license plate
• Every visible damaged area
• Broken parts or debris
• Tire or skid marks
• Damage to signs, barriers, buildings, or other property
• Interior damage or deployed safety equipment
• Relevant obstructions and sight lines

Retain the original files. If you crop or annotate copies for explanation, label them as copies and keep the unmodified versions.

Identify neutral witnesses

Ask witnesses for their names, telephone numbers, email addresses, and a brief description of what they observed. Record where each person was positioned and whether the witness saw events before impact, heard only the collision, or arrived afterward.

Do not pressure a witness to agree with you, characterize fault, or rehearse a statement. The witness’s own account is more useful than language shaped by a participant.

Preserve records that may disappear

When lawfully available and relevant, save:

• Dashcam or other vehicle-camera files
• Nearby residential or business surveillance
• Parking or property security video
• Messages with the other driver
• Call logs and voicemail
• Dispatch or incident records
• Towing and storage paperwork
• Estimates, inspections, and repair records
• Medical and expense records
• Rental or transportation receipts
• Insurer correspondence and upload confirmations

Ask a business or property owner whether footage can be retained, but do not assume the custodian must provide it.

Ask about delayed reporting

Contact the agency with jurisdiction over the crash location. Ask whether it accepts an online, station-based, driver-filed, or motor-vehicle-agency report. Confirm the form, eligibility rules, deadline, submission method, required documents, and confirmation process.

Do this in parallel with the insurance claim. Do not postpone insurer notice while waiting for an agency response.

Start a communication log

For each important contact, record:

• Date and time
• Person or organization
• Telephone number or email
• Purpose of the contact
• Information requested or provided
• Deadline or promised follow-up
• Confirmation or reference number

Include communications with insurers, drivers, witnesses, agencies, repair facilities, towing companies, medical providers, property owners, and video custodians.

Build the evidence file around what each item proves

A large stack of records is not automatically persuasive. Organize the file around the question each item helps answer.

Proof that the incident occurred

Useful records may include:

• A contemporaneous written timeline
• Timestamped scene photographs or video
• Dashcam footage
• Dispatch, call, or incident records
• Messages exchanged immediately afterward
• Calls to the insurer or towing service
• Towing and storage records
• Dated repair-intake documents
• Other dated records already lawfully available to you

Present each item accurately. A timestamp may show when a photograph was created, but it does not by itself prove every statement about how the collision occurred.

Proof of driver and vehicle involvement

Preserve:

• License-plate photographs
• Driver and passenger information
• Registration details
• Insurance cards or policy information
• Vehicle identification information, when available
• Wide photographs showing the vehicles at the location
• Video showing the vehicles
• Messages in which a participant discusses the collision

This evidence can matter if someone later disputes being present, questions which vehicle was involved, or claims that the damage predated the event.

Proof of how the collision happened

Potential liability evidence includes:

• Wide scene photographs
• Vehicle positions
• Road geometry and lane markings
• Traffic signals, signs, or parking-lot controls
• Damage locations and patterns
• Debris or tire marks
• Dashcam or surveillance footage
• Neutral witness accounts
• Weather, lighting, and road conditions
• Consistent participant statements

No single item necessarily decides fault. An adjuster may compare the described movements with the impact points, assess whether a witness had a clear view, and check whether the timeline matches available video or messages.

Witness statements can help, but they do not directly replace an officer’s contemporaneous observations. A witness may have seen only part of the event or may be mistaken about distance or timing. Record what the person actually observed and let the insurer evaluate it.

Proof of vehicle damage and financial loss

Keep:

• Overall and close-up damage photographs
• Inspection reports
• Initial and supplemental estimates
• Final invoices
• Parts and labor documentation
• Towing and storage bills
• Rental or substitute-transportation records
• Correspondence about newly discovered damage
• Valuation documents if the vehicle is treated as a total loss

An estimate describes anticipated repair cost; an invoice documents work performed or charged. Keep both when relevant.

Damage that looks minor at the scene may prove more extensive after inspection (Progressive’s minor-accident guidance). If additional damage is found, ask the repair facility to document it and notify the insurer before further work prevents an requested inspection, unless immediate action is necessary for safety or loss prevention.

Proof supporting an injury component

For an injury claim, retain records showing:

• When symptoms were first noticed
• When medical evaluation occurred
• The history given to the provider
• Diagnoses or clinical findings
• Recommended and completed treatment
• Prescriptions or medical equipment
• Bills and out-of-pocket expenses
• Work restrictions
• Claimed wage loss and employment support
• Changes in symptoms over time

Medical records can document timing, evaluation, treatment, and expense. They do not automatically prove that the collision caused every condition. Give providers and the insurer accurate information, and use the provider’s normal process to request correction of genuine record errors.

If symptoms appear later, record when they began, obtain an appropriate medical evaluation, preserve the resulting records, and update the insurer.

What if there are no photos or witnesses?

A lack of scene photographs or neutral witnesses makes the file thinner, but other records may still exist:

• Repair patterns and inspection findings
• Towing records
• Surveillance footage
• Dispatch or call records
• Contemporaneous messages
• Medical timing
• Dated receipts
• The other driver’s later communications
• A prompt and consistent written account

FindLaw identifies driver information, photographs, witness statements, surveillance, and medical documentation as evidence that may support a claim without an officer’s report. No single item is guaranteed to be sufficient; the value depends on how reliably the pieces fit together (FindLaw’s overview of alternative evidence).

Use a simple folder structure

A useful claim folder might contain:

1. Index: A one-page list of submitted material
2. Timeline: Accident, reporting, treatment, inspection, and communication dates
3. Participant sheet: Drivers, owners, passengers, witnesses, vehicles, and insurers
4. Scene media: Original photographs and videos plus labeled working copies
5. Damage documents: Estimates, inspections, invoices, towing, and storage
6. Medical documents: Records, bills, wage-loss support, and an expense log, if applicable
7. Communications: Emails, letters, messages, call notes, and submission confirmations
8. Official records: Incident numbers, dispatch records, and any later-filed report

Use descriptive filenames rather than unexplained image numbers. Keep a complete copy of everything submitted.

How to file and communicate with the adjuster

The basic filing process is generally similar whether or not an official report exists.

Give clear initial notice

Tell the insurer:

• Who and which vehicles were involved
• When and where the accident occurred
• How it happened, based on personal knowledge
• What damage or injuries are currently known
• Whether police attended
• Whether another report may be filed
• Where the vehicle is located
• Whether towing, storage, repair, or medical issues require attention

If officers attended but the report is unavailable, provide the department and report or incident number when known. If no officer attended and no report exists, state that plainly. Do not imply that a report is pending unless an agency has accepted one or confirmed that you may submit it.

Expect comparison across sources

An adjuster may compare:

• Your account
• The other driver’s account
• Damage patterns
• Scene and vehicle photographs
• Dashcam or surveillance footage
• Witness information
• Estimates and inspection notes
• Towing and storage records
• Medical documentation
• Bills and receipts
• Policy language
• Police, dispatch, or driver-filed records

Insurers may evaluate a claim without a police report using participant accounts, repair estimates, damage patterns, witness statements, surveillance, photographs, and video (Mercury’s claims-without-reports explanation).

Without an independent report, the adjuster may ask more questions about timing, vehicle involvement, fault, injury causation, or whether all claimed damage came from the reported event. Additional questions do not necessarily amount to a denial; they may identify a factual, coverage, or valuation issue that remains unresolved.

Answer from known facts

Distinguish among:

• What you observed: “The signal facing me was green.”
• What you inferred: “I believed the other vehicle was turning.”
• What you learned later: “The repair facility later found damage behind the bumper.”

Do not guess about speed, distance, braking time, fault percentages, medical causation, or another person’s motives. “I do not know” or “I did not see that” is better than presenting an estimate as fact.

Consistency does not require defending an honest mistake. If you gave an incorrect street name, time, or vehicle description, correct it promptly and explain why. Do not casually reshape the account to fit new evidence.

Handle recorded-statement requests carefully

If an adjuster requests a recorded statement:

• Identify the insurer and claim
• Determine whether the adjuster represents your insurer or another party’s insurer
• Review relevant notice and cooperation provisions
• Ask what subjects will be covered
• Have your timeline and records available
• Answer only from known facts
• Avoid speculation and unnecessary commentary

There is no universal rule that every recorded statement should be accepted or refused. Duties and risks may differ according to the requesting insurer, coverage, policy language, and governing law. If the stakes are significant or the request is unclear, individualized guidance may be appropriate.

Create a durable submission record

Use a channel that creates a record, such as a claim portal, email, or trackable mail. Retain:

• Claim number
• Adjuster contact details
• Copies of submitted documents
• Upload confirmations
• Email delivery records
• Letters and envelopes
• Telephone notes
• Deadlines and follow-up requests

A missing police report may lengthen review or intensify a fault dispute, especially when participant accounts conflict. It does not by itself prove that the accident did not happen.

Special situations that need faster or stronger documentation

Hit-and-run

Notify police and the insurer promptly. Record the other vehicle’s plate or partial plate, make, model, color, direction of travel, driver description, and distinctive features when it is safe to do so. Preserve witness details, video, debris, paint transfer, photographs, and proof of police contact.

Hit-and-run and uninsured-motorist coverage depend on the policy and jurisdiction. Review the applicable policy language rather than assuming that the label “hit-and-run” automatically activates coverage.

An uncooperative driver or a driver who leaves

Do not block, chase, threaten, or confront the other driver. Prioritize safety, record the plate and vehicle description if possible, identify witnesses, preserve available footage, and contact police promptly.

Save original messages in which the person identifies themselves, discusses the collision, offers an explanation, or refers to payment. Avoid arguing about fault by text.

Conflicting accounts

When drivers disagree, look promptly for neutral evidence:

• Dashcam recordings
• Independent witnesses
• Nearby security or doorbell cameras
• Traffic controls and lane geometry
• Vehicle-position photographs
• Damage patterns
• Debris
• Initial messages
• Dispatch records

Preserve originals. Do not annotate the only copy of an image or repeatedly compress video through messaging apps.

Symptoms that appear later

Record when symptoms began, seek an appropriate medical evaluation, give the provider an accurate history, preserve records and expenses, and update the insurer. Do not claim that the sequence of events alone proves medical causation.

Seek urgent or emergency medical assistance for severe or worsening symptoms rather than waiting for an insurance decision.

Hidden vehicle damage

If additional damage becomes apparent:

1. Stop using the vehicle if continued operation appears unsafe.
2. Obtain an inspection or repair estimate.
3. Photograph newly identified damage when possible.
4. Ask the repair facility to document what it found.
5. Notify the insurer before work materially changes the damaged area when an inspection has been requested.
6. Retain relevant repair and parts records.

Do not assume the initial visible damage represents the full repair scope.

Private-property or parking-lot collisions

Police may decline to attend or prepare a report for some minor private-property accidents. If that happens, document:

• Vehicle positions
• Parking aisles and travel directions
• Stop signs and pavement markings
• Lighting and visibility
• Property conditions
• Entrances and exits
• Witness locations
• Nearby businesses and cameras
• Property owner or manager details
• Any security or incident record

A property manager’s report can help establish when the event was reported, but it is not necessarily a police report or an independent fault determination.

A single-vehicle accident

Do not assume the absence of another driver eliminates every reporting or policy duty. A collision involving a sign, barrier, building, animal, utility equipment, or other property may create separate obligations.

Document the location, cause as you understand it, property involved, vehicle condition, weather, road conditions, and witnesses. Check the current local rules and policy.

Can you create or obtain a report after leaving the scene?

Possibly. Some jurisdictions allow online, station-based, motor-vehicle-agency, or other driver-filed reports after an accident. Others restrict delayed reports according to crash type, location, injury status, vehicle condition, or elapsed time.

Contact the agency with jurisdiction over the crash location—not simply the agency nearest your home. Ask:

• Is the incident eligible for delayed reporting?
• Which agency and form apply?
• What documents should be attached?
• Is an incident or reference number required?
• How must the report be submitted?
• What is the deadline?
• How will filing be confirmed?
• How can a copy be obtained?

There is no nationwide delayed-reporting deadline.

If officers attended, start with the responding department. A report or related record may be available from a police department, highway patrol, records unit, or online portal, sometimes for a fee. Ask whether the record is a collision report, incident report, call log, or exchange sheet.

If a delayed report is accepted, provide a factual account, distinguish personal observations from conclusions, attach relevant records, and retain a complete copy and confirmation.

A delayed report can create a dated record of what was submitted. It cannot reproduce an officer’s contemporaneous view of vehicle positions, debris, road conditions, participant conduct, or witness statements gathered at the scene. Delayed-report availability and limitations vary by agency (FindLaw’s discussion of after-the-fact reports).

If an existing report contains an incorrect plate, insurer, street, vehicle, or participant detail, contact the issuing agency and ask about its correction or supplemental-report procedure. Provide supporting documents, but do not assume the agency will change an officer’s conclusions.

Most importantly, do not delay insurer notification while seeking a report. Tell the insurer what exists now and supplement the file later.

When the claim becomes difficult—and what not to assume

A difficult claim becomes easier to address when the disputed issue is identified precisely. Ask the adjuster:

• Is coverage still under review?
• Is driver or vehicle involvement disputed?
• Is liability unresolved?
• Is the insurer questioning whether the event caused particular damage?
• Is additional medical information requested?
• Is the amount of repair, treatment, wage loss, or another expense disputed?
• Which documents or answers remain outstanding?
• Has a final decision been made?

A request for information is not the same as a final coverage denial or liability decision. Respond in an organized form, identify each attachment, and retain copies.

If the other driver changes their account, preserve the original texts, emails, photographs, messages, witness details, estimates, and your first timeline. Do not reconstruct records or ask a witness to revise a statement.

Review potentially relevant policy provisions, including:

• Notice of accident or loss
• Cooperation
• Proof of loss
• Vehicle inspection
• Collision coverage
• Property-damage and bodily-injury liability
• Medical-payments coverage
• Personal injury protection or other no-fault benefits
• Uninsured- or underinsured-motorist coverage
• Hit-and-run conditions
• Exclusions, definitions, deductibles, and limits

Do not assume every listed coverage appears in your policy or applies to the event. First-party collision, third-party liability, medical, and uninsured-motorist claims can involve different conditions.

If the insurer issues an unfavorable decision, request the reason and applicable policy language in writing. Compare the explanation with the submitted evidence. If material is missing, ask whether supplementation or internal review is available.

Individualized guidance may be appropriate for serious injuries, substantial financial loss, disputed liability, suspected reckless or impaired driving, conflicting statements, complex coverage questions, or approaching deadlines. Possible resources include a qualified attorney and the state insurance regulator. Policy deadlines and lawsuit deadlines are not interchangeable.

Keep these non-promises in mind:

• No police report does not guarantee denial.
• Filing a claim does not guarantee payment.
• A police report does not conclusively decide fault.
• A delayed report is not equivalent to a scene investigation.

Before treating the file as complete, verify:

• Current official rules for the crash jurisdiction
• The actual policy and declarations
• The insurer’s current instructions
• Whether a separate police or motor-vehicle filing is required
• Whether special hit-and-run conditions apply
• Whether all records and correspondence are preserved
• Whether any insurer, agency, policy, or legal deadline remains open

Frequently asked questions

Will an insurer automatically deny an auto claim because there is no police report?

Not necessarily. Insurers can often open and investigate auto claims without an officer-prepared report. They may instead evaluate participant statements, photographs, video, witness information, damage patterns, repair records, towing documents, and medical evidence (Justin Lowe & Associates’ claim-documentation overview).

The missing report can make a disputed claim harder to evaluate and lead to additional questions. Approval still depends on coverage, policy compliance, evidence, liability, causation, and the amount of the claimed loss.

Can I file an insurance claim several days after an accident if I have no report?

You may still be able to notify the insurer and open a claim, but act promptly. Explain when the collision occurred, why notice was delayed, and what documentation exists.

Delay can make evidence harder to collect because footage may be overwritten, witnesses may become difficult to locate, vehicles may be repaired, and memories may fade. The policy may also contain prompt-notice or cooperation requirements. Separately, an official crash-report deadline may already be running, so check the policy and current jurisdiction rules immediately.

Does a police report prove who was legally at fault?

No. A report may contain observations, participant statements, diagrams, citations, and an officer’s assessment, but it does not necessarily bind an insurer or court. The officer may not have witnessed the collision, and the report may contain incomplete or disputed information.

The insurer may compare the report with physical damage, video, photographs, traffic controls, participant accounts, and witness evidence. Legal fault depends on the governing law and complete factual record.

What if police would not respond because the collision was minor or on private property?

Record when and how you contacted police, which agency you called, and what you were told. Ask whether a call record exists and whether an online, station-based, or driver-filed report is available. Police practices for minor or private-property accidents vary by location.

Document vehicle positions, damage, license plates, signs, markings, lighting, property conditions, witnesses, and cameras. Notify the insurer and state accurately that police did not attend or prepare a report. Do not assume the crash was legally nonreportable merely because an officer did not respond.

Can I make a hit-and-run claim without a police report?

You may be able to open a claim, but hit-and-run and uninsured-motorist provisions can impose special conditions. Notify police and the insurer promptly, preserve evidence of that contact, and ask the insurer to identify every applicable notice, reporting, corroboration, or cooperation requirement (Justin Lowe & Associates’ hit-and-run discussion).

Preserve the plate or partial plate, vehicle and driver description, direction of travel, witness information, footage, paint transfer, debris, and photographs. Coverage depends on the policy and jurisdiction, so do not handle the matter as though it were an ordinary two-driver collision.

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Report the auto claim promptly. Check whether current local law or the policy requires a separate official report. Create a dated factual timeline, preserve evidence according to what it proves, and ask the appropriate agency whether delayed reporting is available.

A missing police report is a documentation problem to address—not automatic approval or denial. The current official rules and the actual insurance policy control.