Damage alone does not relieve a boat from her responsibilities to inform the protestee or to file, but there are some mitigating factors.

If the damage or injury is obvious to both boats involved, the protestor does not have to hail "protest" nor fly a flag, but she must still attempt to inform the other boat within the protest time limit. See RRS 61.1(a)(4).

The protestor still needs to file within the time limit, but if there is a good reason to extend the time, the protest committee must do so. See RRS 61.3.

Even if a boat's protest is invalid, the protest committee itself may file a protest if it learns of an incident that may have resulted in injury or serious damage. See RRS 60.3(a)(1).

So, if you were involved in an incident that resulted in injury (even minor injury), or serious damage (serious enough to require repair), but file after the time limit expires, you still have a couple of options. The first one is to request that the protest time limit be extended. If you made a good faith effort to deliver your protest within the time limit, but were prevented by circumstances beyond your control, then Protest Committee must extend the limit. Good reasons include taking injured crew to receive medical attention, or keeping a damaged boat from foundering. It does not include taking time to pack up and cover your boat, nor for stopping to take a shower and change clothes.

If you didn't properly inform the other boat, or can't get the time limit extended (or if your protest is invalid for some other reason), you can still request the Protest Committee to protest under rule 60.3(a)(1). If the damage is severe, or there is evidence of injury, a good PC will file its own protest and have the hearing.

I hope that helps,
Eric