sigh
I'm glad no one was seriously injured but the idea that both sides would deny ownership of fault in this situation irks me.
I posted here (I think two Christmases ago) about a car accident I'd been in. It was the first one I'd ever experienced, and it was entirely my fault (the road was slick and my car skidded upon trying to brake). There was an officer at the intersection at the time. He told us we needed to go to the station and file a report, but we didn't because we felt like we could handle it on our own. After a week or two of thinking, I made a proposal. He basically agreed to accept a money order for an amount based on the quotes I'd gotten for repairs. I typed up a document and had it notarized with his signature which was his acknowledgment of receiving payment and that no future payments or any other levels of compensation would occur beyond that transaction.