First Reporting: The Accident Report And Your Personal Injury Case
by Becky Freeman
Being hurt in an accident by another driver can leave you with devastating injuries and the time right afterward can be confusing. You may be dealing with not only your medical issues but transportation problems, stress, anxiety, and more. You don't need to deal with the accident claim on your own so the sooner you speak to an attorney the better. In the meantime, one of the first moves you want to make is to get your hands on the accident report. Read on to learn more.
What is the accident report?
When law enforcement responds to an accident, they are required to prepare a report about the accident. This report can be referred to as an accident report or a police report, and it is full of important information. Most reports contain facts about the parties (you and the other driver), insurance carrier information and more. Having this report in hand when you speak to your personal injury lawyer for the first time is wise since the report is a good starting point for the information gathering required to form a good personal injury case.
What's in the report?
The contact information for the other party and their insurance information is only the beginning. Most reports also include very specific facts about things like:
- The time of the accident. This detail can later become important since the angle of the sun or the relative darkness of the scene can impact visibility.
- The weather on that date. Again, if there was ice, snow, rain, or fog, it might have affected the driving of both parties.
- Eyewitnesses. If you have the contact information for someone who saw the wreck happen, they might be called upon later to provide a statement about it.
- Lay witnesses. Even though a neutral third-party eyewitness account is more valuable, anyone in your vehicle or the other vehicle are considered lay witnesses and their opinion does play a part.
Pay particular attention to this part of the report
There are three more potential pieces of information contained within the report that could have an even bigger impact on your chances of gaining compensation than the above:
1. The summary of the accident: The officer provides a narrative of how the accident happened, based on the knowledge available from the victims, drivers, lay witnesses, and eye-witnesses.
2. The officer's opinion: Using the above information, the officer forms an opinion as to what caused the wreck and provides an evaluation of who was likely at fault in the accident.
3. Traffic citations and arrests: If anyone involved in the accident was ticketed due to careless driving or other violations, it will be noted in the report. If the other driver was arrested for any reason, such as driving while intoxicated, that information may provide you with a very valuable piece of information.
Speak to an auto accident lawyer to learn more.
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About Me
Hello and welcome, I'm Winfred Paulo. I have a passion for civil court cases of all kinds. Some time back, I ended up in the thick of a civil case after a lengthy dispute with my neighbor. The dispute went on for years and ended badly with an incident that landed us both in court. We had to prove our side of the case in an effort to obtain a positive outcome and recoup our losses. Unfortunately, I lost the case due to a lack of evidence. Since then, I've maintain a strong interest in civil cases and their proceedings. I will share information about civil cases on this site to help others understand these proceedings better. I may talk about legal terms, and expected outcomes for each case type. I hope you visit often to learn more. Thanks for stopping by my website.