An accident report is an official document that a police officer creates after a car accident or other personal injury incident. It provides information about the circumstances surrounding the accident to help insurance companies understand who was at fault. It can also serve as vital evidence should the victim pursue legal action.
After a motor vehicle accident, first responders will care for injured parties and investigate the scene. The evidence they find and items they observe go into an official accident report. This report provides a summary of what led to the accident, including diagrams and witness statements. Law enforcement officers sometimes provide an opinion about who was at fault in the accident report.
The parties involved in an accident have the right to obtain a copy of the accident report. A car accident lawyer can help injury victims understand exactly what the crash report means when seeking an injury claim.
Components of an Accident Report
In most law enforcement jurisdictions, officers follow a standard accident report form. They may adjust the information contained in the report to fit the circumstances of the crash. However, each report requires police to collect the same basic data:
- Personal information about each driver and passenger
- Time and place of the accident
- Information about the road conditions or weather
- Make, model, license plate number, and VIN of each vehicle
- Insurance information and policy numbers for each driver
- Description of the damage to each vehicle
- Photographs of the scene.
- Information about any property damage outside of that inflicted upon the vehicles
- Estimation of a financial amount for all damage at the scene
- Witness statements
- Descriptions of the behavior of accident victims, especially the drivers
- Descriptions of any items that may explain the accident’s cause, such as empty alcohol containers in one vehicle.
- Diagrams of the road and circumstances that led to the crash
- Important measurements, such as the length of tire skid marks
- List of traffic citations the officers issue to either driver, if any
The report often contains a summary of the officer’s findings. This summary might indicate the officer’s belief of which driver was at fault. The report may also blame weather conditions as a primary cause of the accident.
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What Happens With the Report After the Accident
The police officer investigating the crash often will provide all parties involved with a business card and the accident report number. Officers typically create a preliminary report within a day or two that victims can submit for insurance purposes.
The full accident report often takes three to five business days to complete. If the accident had some complex elements, it could take longer to finish.
Obtaining a Copy
When victims seek a copy a few days later, they can find the accident report online or in person at the police station. People often must pay a fee when obtaining a printed accident report in person. Some law enforcement jurisdictions send an email copy to those who request it.
Insurance companies need a copy of the report to allow the filing of an insurance claim. Whether the crash involved property damage, injuries, or both, the insurer uses the report to assign fault. It uses the information in the accident report to determine what payments it needs to make to victims, if any.
When filing a personal injury lawsuit related to the crash, the injury attorney will also obtain a copy of the accident report.
Why Police File an Accident Report
Police investigate accidents and file reports for a few reasons:
- The report is a third-party observation of the accident, which helps insurance companies make determinations about liability.
- The report includes evidence that law enforcement officers could use if they later decide to file criminal charges against either driver.
- By collecting the report information immediately after the crash, police can clear the scene quickly and return the road to normal traffic flow.
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Importance of an Accident Report for an Injury Claim
If injuries occur in a motor vehicle accident, the victims might have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit. The accident report gives the victims, their lawyers, and the insurance companies evidence to determine fault. In most states, the at-fault party’s insurer would pay any financial award won in the injury lawsuit to the victims.
The observations in the police report come from a professional with training in spotting accident causes. The officer is a neutral third party in the accident and makes observations without bias, which is important evidence in a lawsuit.
Accident Investigation
Both insurance companies and accident lawyers use the accident report as a starting point in investigating a crash.
For a victim filing an injury accident lawsuit, if the accident report places blame on the other driver, this information is helpful in attempting to win a claim. However, if the report places most of the fault for the accident on the victim, it could invalidate the victim’s hopes of winning an injury award. The injury attorney for the victim would need to seek out other evidence that contradicts what’s in the police report.
Sometimes, accident reports have errors. Perhaps a witness did not tell police officers the truth. In the aftermath of the crash, an injury victim may not remember what happened accurately. An accident attorney could seek video evidence or observations from witnesses who did not speak to police to try to counteract the findings in the accident report.
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Learn More About Accident Reports From a Personal Injury Lawyer
After suffering injuries in a car accident, victims may have the right to file an injury accident lawsuit. The accident report is a key piece of evidence in this lawsuit.
The team at Accident Hotline understands the importance of the accident report. The team connects you with an experienced law firm for your injury claim. Accident Hotline can guide your legal options. To learn more about how the team at Accident Hotline can help, call (888) 340-7454 today for a free consultation.
For a free consultation, call 888-340-7454