How To Obtain A Police Report After A Car Accident
Posted on June 27, 2022 in Motor Vehicle Accidents
Experiencing a car accident can be a really traumatic experience, much less being involved in one. It is extremely important that you take the time to recover from shock and any injuries sustained, but for many people, time is also of the essence to get in your insurance claims and any legal processes that are required. In most cases, a key piece of evidence is the police report.
If this is your first time in a vehicle or traffic accident, you may not know how to go about this. This is especially so if you are already having to spend large amounts of time going to doctor’s appointment, making arrangements at work, and getting in contact with your insurance agents. However, the police report will have vital evidence regarding what exactly happened in a car crash as well as corroboration from any investigations, observations, or interviews that the police had conducted on site.
How Do You Obtain The Police Report?
This is a piece of document that was created by investigating officers that were called to the scene of the accident. It will contain any facts or opinions that the officer had as well as a summary of the crash. Depending on where you live, it will cost around $15 to $25 to obtain the report.
This application can be done in person at the local police department, online, or via mail. If you are unable to get it in person, it is also possible to have an authorized individual like a motor vehicle accidents lawyer. If you were involved in a car accident as a passenger in a taxi or as a cab driver, it is important to contact a lawyer that is familiar with taxi accidents and the responsibilities of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC).
Why Will You Need A Police Report?
The crash report will contain crucial information. Although it will also be crucial to have a witness statement of what you remember and did before, during and after the accident, the crash report offer an objective point of view from an individual of authority. In some cases, if you have sustained any injuries to your head or suffered from severe shock, you may not have remembered everything that had occurred.
Information that will be included in the report by the police will include:
- The approximate location, time, and date of the accident
- Contact information of all parties involved
- Insurance information of the parties involved
- Damage that was done to the vehicles
- Witness statements by others at the scene of the accident
- Conditions of the accident like the weather, visibility, and road condition
- Any injuries that were sustained
- Any violations or citations that will be issued
- Opinions by the investigation officer as to what caused the crash and who was at fault
Do You Need A Police Report If There Were Injuries?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is that following New York Vehicle & Traffic Section 600, it is compulsory that an individual provides the necessary identification for themselves and their vehicle to the nearest police station or judicial officer as soon as possible following a car accident. In the event that a report was not filed, under New York Vehicle & Traffic Section 602, this would warrant an arrest by peace officers as a violation of Section 600 and Section 601.
Always ensure you have the right documents in order before filing a claim. Contact a car accident attorney to get started.