After you are involved in a car or truck accident that wasn’t your fault, several things will happen before you can pursue a personal injury claim.
First, you will have to exchange contact information with the person responsible. Second, you will have to take pictures and videos of the scene to ensure that you capture as much original evidence as possible.
And third, you will have to call the police so that they can complete an official report. In fact, most states have laws that require you to file a report if property damage is over a specific amount, or if the accident resulted in an injury or death.
In Texas for example, the law requires you to call the police or fill out a crash report from if there is property damage greater than $1,000 or if someone was injured or killed in the accident.
But if a police report is filed, is this the official and final document of what happened in the accident? Let’s try to answer that question.
What If the Police Report Isn’t Complete In Your Personal Injury Claim?
A police report for a car accident will detail statements made by all parties involved in the accident, including what each witness told officers. It will also include basic information from each person involved in the accident such as name, phone number, address, driver’s license number and insurance details.
And in many instances, the report will also include the officer’s assessment of which party was at fault in the accident.
This is very important, because the insurance company of the person who is at fault will analyze the report before deciding how to proceed with negotiations. And if the report contains errors, then those errors could affect your personal injury claim.
So even though car accident police reports are not admissible in court as evidence in many states, they are important evidence for the insurance company, so you have to make sure to correct or dispute any details that are not accurate.
Disputing a police report requires you to show evidence that the officer made a mistake, otherwise the police department will not amend the report.
The biggest takeaway about a police report is that it isn’t the final word in your claim. Your lawyers will often find evidence not available in the report that can strengthen your case.
The Importance of a Personal Injury Attorney
Because police reports are not the end of the story when it comes to your personal injury claim, you will need an experienced law firm to help gather additional evidence. That’s why you need the team at David K. Wilson & Associates, which has the resources to investigate your claim and gather all the evidence you need to bolster your case.