Should i start a case on this oil car service?

Ok well I'm a 19 year old new driver, and i got my first car (1997 honda accord) 3 months ago. In August i went to get my first oil change from a quick oil change place. For the Month of August after the oil change i didn't notice anything unusual. By September my car started smelling funny and the engine was hot. But unfortunately i made a rookie mistake by not opening the hood then. A few days ago i turned my car on and the engine basically stop working after a few seconds. When i checked my car's engine i noticed the oil cap was missing and oil splattered all over my engine. My uncle told me i should file a police report/start a case against the oil change shop. My question is do you think i should do that or pay out of pocket(from my own mistake in September)?

Added (1). If anyone else sees/ answers this please disregard "police report" Civil case is what i'm trying to say

Problem will to PROVE they left the cap off, when it obvioulsy fell off a whole month later.

Also, what actual damage has been done? Only serious thing would be if you continued to drive without oil, and the engine seized. If the engine has just shut itself down because ot low oil pressure then all it needs a steam clean, a new cap and top up the oil.

The police don't deal with things like that as it isn't a crime. You waited a month to check. Anyone could have opened the hood and removed the oil cap. There's no way of proving it was negligence on the part of the oil change place. I think you are SOL.

Police report? Leaving an oil cap off is not a criminal offense, it would be a civil case. Secondly, too much time has passed to really have any solid legal actions against the automotive center. It is your responsibility to frequently check to make sure your automobile has proper fluids, filters, etc. That is simple preventative maintenance.

This would be a civil case, not a criminal case. And all that it will do is cost money, forlawyers from both sides (no matter who wins). I would say you should have checked your oil sometime and your oil light should have come on before you destroyed your engine. Maybe you can strike a compromise bargian with Firestone

People should check their oil once a week, especially on an older car
your uncle is wrong, you should have taken steps along the way to prevent things from going wrong, like checking your oil
you have had the car for only 3 months, you have no idea if it uses any oil or not, because it sounds like you have never once checked it
experience sometimes is expensive