An accident report is a piece of document which records pertinent details about your accident for the purposes of law-keeping. For instance, the type of information included in this report includes the time of day that the accident happened, the color and make of all cars involved, names of both drivers as well as witness testimonies. This piece of paper can be vital when it comes to filing a personal injury lawsuit because it lends credence to your claims, helping you get the compensation you deserve.
What to do After a Car Accident
A lot of people are in shock moments after an accident. It is important, however, to stay calm and call the police as well as 911 so you can have an ambulance sent over regardless of the extent of your injuries. After you’ve been looked over by health professionals, you should contact a lawyer as well as find a way to get a police report.
There are various ways of getting a police report. However, it’s usually a good idea to follow these tips:
- If your accident happened within a city, you should call the municipal police department. If it occurred on a highway, call the State Highway Patrol or the Sheriff’s Department
- You will then be asked to fill in a Record Request Form. Sometimes, this may be available online, and you may need to either email, snail mail it back to them or head over to the station in person to drop it off.
- You’re then required to wait between 7 to 10 working days to get your traffic accident report sent over to you.
The investigating officer is the person to look for when seeking out your police accident report. This is because they have the accident incident number which will then help you get more information on your accident. If the incident number isn’t available, you can give them the accident date, your or the other driver’s name, or where the accident occurred.
How to Interpret the Traffic Accident Report
Once you have your traffic accident report, pay special attention to the ‘Driver Contributing Circumstances’ box, which can be found on the left side and in the middle of the document, on the first page. With your driver number in hand (found at the top of the document), determine whether you were listed as one of the people who contributed to the collision. If the ‘none’ box is checked, you’re in the clear. Other information you should pay attention to is the police officer’s narrative found at the second page as well as his or her estimate of the damage.
Car Accident Reports Aren’t Final – We Can Help!
It is important to note that these reports aren’t final and that they can be changed, even if fault was attributed on your person. Contact the officer who wrote it and explain errors in order to have the information changed. We understand how hard this can be for most people, and this is why we’d like to extend a helping hand. Please call us today on (773) 906-4159 for your free consultation into car accident police reports and we’ll make sure to get you the maximum compensation available by law. Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you.