To be involved in a car accident may be a terrifying event. Once you have recovered from the first shock, call your insurer. And one of the first items they will ask for is a copy of the police report. An attorney will review your police and traffic accident documents. They have to do it to decide whether you should file a personal injury claim or not.
After getting medical help for your injuries, request a copy of the results. Then the car accident attorneys providing legal support will be the ones working in your favor.
Even if it’s your first car or truck collision, you may not know how to get a report. Your time is better spent on insurance, doctor’s visits, and time off work. Who has the time to go out and get a police report?
You will need the police report’s contents to receive proper compensation for your bodily injury claims. After a car collision reveals what happened and who was at fault, you will know what to do.
What Is a Police Report?
A police report outlines what occurred, who was present, and the damage. A police report may be one page or more, depending on the accident.
A police event number will be issued to the individual who files a police complaint. After an accident, this number is needed to file the injury claims.
How Police Report Information Can Assist Car Accident Attorneys
Obtaining case documents might save you time and help you claim monetary and nonmonetary damages. If you are hurt in a car accident, you have three years to sue. In legal parlance, it is known as the statute of limitations. Expert car accident lawyers in Lacey even stated that failure to bring your case within the time limit may stop you from recovering damages for your injuries forever.
Lawyers will need to see the police report following a collision. An accident report provides a detailed account of what happened. In these reports, you will find the following kinds of data:
- Involved car owners
- Passengers, property owners, automobile owners, drivers, and passersby all participated
- Involved driver names and phone numbers
- An accident’s exact date, time, and place
- Penalties for drunk, speeding, or breaking traffic laws
- The officer’s assessment of what led up to the mishap
Major accident reports might contain detailed narratives.
You may qualify for money loss, compensating accident victims for financial damages. For instance, you may be able to recoup losses, such as:
- If you have to pay for repairs to your car and for utilizing other forms of transportation, you may qualify for money loss.
- Bills for medical care if you sought it for your physical and psychological damage.
- Extra expenditures are incurred if your injury requires hiring a caregiver or housekeeper.
- You may lose pay if you have to take some time away from work to enable your injuries to heal.
Besides, you can sue for non-economic damages, which are meant to recompense victims for their emotional pain. Among the things you may be able to claim:
- Disabilities include chronic pain, limb loss, brain damage, and other long-term impairments.
- The physical and emotional pain and suffering you endured resulted from your injuries.
- Quality of life declines when activities that bring you joy are no longer possible.
- The presence of scars that limit your range of motion or alter your look may be considered scarring.
What Is the Process for Obtaining the Police Report?
- Visit the Police Station in Person
You may receive the accident report from the local police station during business hours.
- Mail Your Request to Get a Police Report
Instead of in-person delivery, copies of reports incur administrative fees. Police reports can be requested by mail or fax, although the department may need a form and charge.
- Request a Copy of Your Report by Submitting an Online Request
For around $15, you may obtain a non-certified copy of your police record online using a credit or debit card. Case number, license plate number, driver’s license, or last name will be required.
Depending on where the report is in the processing step, it might take anywhere from a day to a week to get it. Real-time search reports take a week, while accident-related queries might take three months.
An email with details on downloading the report will be sent to you, and it will be available for 14 days after that.
How can one obtain a police report online?
Since visiting a police station in person is cumbersome, many prefer the internet. Most vehicle accident reports may be found and purchased via this service. To find your report, you will probably need some basic information:
- The date the accident took place
- The scene of the accident
- In certain circumstances, the VIN (vehicle identification number)
In Washington state, Washington car injury lawyers may also acquire your police report for you if you don’t have one.
Your time is not wasted since they have legal advisors on hand who can do this task swiftly and effectively. It is a standard strategy among car accident lawyers while gathering evidence.
Filing a Police Report: What Are the Benefits?
- An Impartial Report That Helps Car Accident Attorneys
Official police reports are neutral, third-party accounts of car accidents. Many believe this report is more trustworthy than the witnesses’ accounts.
In the future, persons involved may have differing memories of what occurred and who was to blame. You may get an accurate account of what happened by requesting a police report in this situation.
- After a Car Accident, Your Vehicle Could Be Damaged
Despite outward appearances, a car may be damaged after an accident. A police record after an accident may avoid false vehicle damage claims. It will be essential to file a case in the injury law department.
- Any Post-accident Injuries That Have Occurred
A police report might help you show that any injuries you sustained in a car accident were caused by the accident itself. It might insulate you from responsibility by preventing people from faking an injury.
- Any Vehicle Accident Claim Needs an Inquiry
Many insurance companies need a police report to receive a police event number. This police record will serve as vital evidence when pursuing personal injury compensation. Based on the lack of police paperwork, insurers may deny compensation claims.
How Car Accident Lawyers Assist You in the Fight to Protect Your Rights
- Comprehensive Investigation of the Incident’s Cause
An experienced attorney will analyze all relevant factors in a severe car accident. Inattention, bad road conditions, a lack of signs, or a car problem may have contributed.
- Determine Who Is to Blame for the Circumstance
A car injury lawyer identifies all relevant aspects to determine who may be responsible for compensation. Your injuries might be partially the fault of the driver who was at fault if they were using a work car.
- Insurers’ Adjusters: Handle Them
Your attorney can handle insurance adjusters while you concentrate on recovery. Any information you provide the at-fault driver’s insurer might hurt your claim. Have an attorney communicate with the adjuster on your behalf to prevent misinterpretation.
- Medical and Accident-Related Expenses
A lawyer can estimate all of the costs associated with the accident, including future medical expenses. Your doctors and other medical professionals may predict your future medical bills. Your recovery may be hampered if you don’t have the budget for future injury expenses.
Conclusion
An accident lawyer can negotiate a reasonable settlement with your insurance. But it will take the assistance of a few things, and your police report is one of them. Without the information, insurance negotiations are complex.
Your injury lawyer may assist you in recouping the money you lost due to missed employment. After a vehicle accident caused by another driver’s recklessness, you owe it to yourself to hire a lawyer who can get the police report.