Car accidents can happen to anyone on the road, and police officers on patrol are not immune to these incidents. While law enforcement officers are probably more carefully trained drivers than the rest of us on the roads, unexpected car crashes can happen. Maybe they were involved in a high-speed chase with another driver when they side swiped your car, perhaps they were looking at their laptop and rear-ended you, or maybe they were distracted while responding to a call and failed to notice a traffic light change. Whatever the reason, the process of how to handle the accident is not that different than your normal accident with a non-police officer.
First, you should remain calm and call 911 for a new officer to be sent to the scene of the crash. You do not report the accident to the law enforcement officer that hit you. You want a new officer to come to the scene so that you can relay what happened to them and they can file a crash report. The officer that was involved in the accident is not someone that you need to make small talk with or discuss fault. Now, the odds are that the officer involved in the crash and the cop that arrives at the scene know each other. Be polite and answer any questions truthfully, but do not divulge any information that is not necessary. Do not admit any fault or speculate as to what you think happened – just stick to the basic facts of the events leading up to the crash.
If you are injured at all, you should absolutely seek medical care as soon as possible. If you do not have any severe injuries that take you away from the crash site immediately, then take photos of the scene with your phone so that you have documentation of the crash site before any evidence is erased. You should get checked out by a doctor after any crash, minor or major, as some injuries may not present themselves right away. Make sure you follow up with your doctor after a car accident and observe any instructions they provide.
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