When Law Enforcement Speaks: The Accident Report

If you have been hurt by the actions of a careless driver, you might want to go beyond what the auto insurer offers. To be paid for a complete assortment of accident losses, letting an attorney handle things should pave the way for more compensation and an easier process overall. Without a doubt, the single most important factor in the way personal injury cases play out is the evidence. To learn more about one of the most enlightening pieces of evidence, read on.

First on the Scene

When an accident occurs, law enforcement is likely to respond. If you don't call them, someone else probably will. Law enforcement personnel take a keen interest in accidents that occur on the roadways, but accidents that happen in parking lots and on private property are not as critical unless there are serious injuries. In all cases, however, a report will be generated as a result of the response. In some cases, an accident report is completed on the scene and copies provided to the parties. If you did not receive an accident report, be sure to contact the agency responsible for the area, be it the sheriff's department, the city police, a state trooper or highway patrol, or others. Once you have a report, be sure to look it over for errors and report any discrepancies to the responding agency.

Good Information and Excellent Evidence

Accident reports are worth their weight in gold when it comes to a personal injury case. You can present your attorney with this one document and the information on it could begin an entire case. Take a look at what you'll find on this report and why it's important.

Details about the time, date, and exact location of the wreck. Time and date info can lead to knowing what the weather was like at the time of the wreck as well as where the sun might have been on the horizon.

Party contact information of all parties including insurance policy numbers. Your attorney will need to know the limits of the at-fault driver's policy when forming a demand for compensation.

Names and contact info for eye-witnesses to the accident. The sooner your attorney procures statements from the witnesses, the better.

Citations, arrests, and tickets are also noted on the report. Naturally, anything negative about the other driver helps your case.

Finally, a summary of the accident. The responding officer speaks to eye-witnesses, drivers, and passengers and makes an initial determination of fault. While this opinion is not considered admissible in court, it often is enough to sway matters in the right direction when a case is in settlement negotiations.

Speak to personal injury attorneys like Nicholas B. Hall - Personal Injury Lawyer to learn more.