You are driving to the hotel for a beach vacation over the weekend when you get into a wreck. You know the other person is at-fault for the wreck but have almost no way to prove that fact. You decide to get a copy of the police officer’s wreck report and are glad to find that the process is easy.
However, you have no idea how to read the report the police department sends you. You look over the form carefully and find a lot of information that proves your case. Let’s take a closer look into how to read the wreck report so you can know what you’re looking at more closely.
What to Look Out For
The wreck report can be confusing at times since the police officer might be writing in a short-hand language. This language might be difficult to follow along with and might give you a downright headache at times.
This shouldn’t be the case and you shouldn’t have to give yourself a headache to get the information you need. There are several things you need to look out for when it comes to the wreck report. Look over all the driver information included at the top of the report to make sure that the info is correct.
Check as well to see if the officer who was on scene gave a ticket to the person who was considered to be at fault. Lastly, check for information about the insurance company covering the at-fault driver. That way, you know who to send the information to when putting in a claim on the insurance.
Who is At Fault for the Wreck
The officer always asks for you to walk him or her through the wreck so they can find out who is at fault for the wreck itself. Any witnesses who saw the wreck will also come forward to explain what they saw moments before.
This information will be put into the report along with a box that asks about whether someone contributed to the wreck. If the box is checked next to the name of the other person involved, that means the officer believed the other person to be at-fault for the wreck.
Once you see that the box is checked, go to the bottom of page one of the report. That will show you the insurance information of the at-fault driver so you can file a claim against their car insurance.
What to Understand about the Report
You should keep in mind that the conclusions of the officer at the scene are not final by any means. You can always go for a second opinion, especially one from an experienced lawyer.
If you cannot understand the report, you can get a consultation from a lawyer to get their expert opinion on what your next step should be.
If you do not believe the report has all of the pertinent information from your wreck, ask a lawyer to collect more information to include on the report.
Greenville and Washington, NC Auto Accident Attorneys
I’m Brian Ricci, a Car Accident Lawyer serving Greenville, NC and the surrounding areas. If you have suffered a personal injury due to a car crash, please call me anytime at (252) 777-2222 or (800) 387-6406 for free, friendly advice. The call is free and there is no obligation to you.
I am a longtime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
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