<prompt> Human: Ive always wondered when Im driving, hypothetically, if you got into an accident and It was obviously the other persons fault, and heshe did not want you to call the authorities or report it maybe they have an accident history? and instead they offered a large sum of cash 5-10k cash or check, is there a catch? What are the steps you have to take in these situations?edit: Well...definitely got more information and opinions than I thought I would. Thanks PF Reddit, you guys are great! Also, this is just hypothetical, I drive about an 1hr 15min everyyday to work, and yeah...the question always pops up in my head! Thanks again!  <response>: Check your local law. In my own state in the US, there is some threshold of damage at which you are required to report it to the police. If you dont do that, you could be in trouble with the police if they find out, for instance, if one of these something-comes-up-later things happens, the other party doesnt want to do anything, and THEN you want to get authorities involved. Or if they just find out some other way.As I suppose you realize, offering you a large sum on a check is a FAR cry from offering you a large sum in cash. Some of this what-if-something-comes-up-later isnt really a factor, because if you do involve authorities and get some settlement, you would certainly have to sign a document saying it was your entire claim. One of the reasons for big settlements in cases like this is that it has to cover contingencies; one generally is not allowed to reopen things later.Its a good thing to think about ahead of time, because the police arent going to be pleased if you spend a day or two thinking about it and then call them. 