How a Car Accident Report Can Help You Win Your Lawsuit
If you’re driving along minding your own business, and suddenly another driver plows into you, that might traumatize you. It may injure you as well. It can damage your car or total it.
In the aftermath, you must decide what path forward you should take. If the other driver didn’t have insurance, or they sped off after the crash without waiting for the police, then you might sue them. You may also sue them if you have injuries or noneconomic damages that you feel require additional financial compensation.
If you sue the other driver, then you’ll probably need evidence that proves what you say happened. The other driver might dispute your version of events. You will likely want to get your hands on the police accident report. You should also understand why car accident reports are essential for claims.
In this article, we will talk about car accident reports. We will discuss what goes into them and how they can sometimes help you win your lawsuit following a serious car wreck.
What Goes into a Car Accident Report
If you cause a car accident, or if another vehicle hits your car, you must stay at the scene. You can try to get your vehicle off the road if you like, but other than that, you have to wait till the police arrive.
The police must take down information and file a report. That’s part of their job. Usually, the police officers who take the report patrol that particular area.
The report will mention your name and that of the other driver. It will include the two vehicle license plate numbers. It will include your insurance information and that of the other driver, assuming you both have insurance.
It will also usually contain some additional information, though. That additional info can help you a great deal in some instances if you decide to file a lawsuit sometime after the crash.
The Report Can Indicate the Weather Conditions When the Crash Occurred
Let’s say you decide you’re going to sue the other driver. If you’re in a no-fault state, your insurance covered your car’s damage. However, you feel like the accident traumatized you, and you’re having a hard time getting past it. In that situation, you’ll try to sue the other driver for noneconomic damages.
You will hire a personal injury attorney who knows about these kinds of cases. They will investigate the crash’s circumstances. They will certainly want to have a copy of the police report from the accident scene.
If your lawsuit ever makes it into the courtroom, that means the other driver either wouldn’t settle, or else they gave you a settlement offer that you turned down. Either way, the car accident report might indicate the weather conditions when the crash occurred.
That might matter more than you’d think. Let’s say the other driver said that there was dense fog covering everything that day, and they hit your vehicle because they had impaired vision.
If the police report states there was no fog, and the day was clear, your attorney can use that to dispute the other driver’s claim.
The Report Reveals the Time the Accident Occurred
The other driver might say that they had reduced visibility because the sun just set, and they don’t see as well in the dark. Alternatively, they might say they had the sun in their eyes and they hit your vehicle for that reason.
Again, the police report can dispute those claims. If the other driver said the sun just set, but the time on the report indicates that’s false, your lawyer can point that out.
If the other driver claims the sun blinded them, the report can show the sun set before the accident occurred. It may show the sun wasn’t in a position to make that possible based on the car’s orientation.
The Report Will Mention if the Other Driver Fled the Scene
If the other driver tries to say they stayed on the scene, the police report can dispute that as well. Maybe the other driver took off when they saw they hit you and didn’t wait for the cops. The other driver might think the police officers who responded won’t show up in court to dispute their contention.
If the police don’t show up for your trial, their report can speak for them instead. If the report clearly states that the other driver fled the scene, your lawyer can show the jury that. They will likely take that as evidence that you’re telling the truth and the other driver lied.
The Report Might Mention Each Vehicle’s Position
The report will also sometimes mention each vehicle’s position on the road or alongside it when the police arrived. This can often help you prove a point about how the other driver struck you.
Your lawyer can also hire a car accident reconstructionist. They can create a diagram, drawing, or computer simulation that shows how the accident occurred. That, along with the police report, can often help back up your version of what happened if the other driver has a completely different story.
You can see how, with aid from a police report, you might win your case. At the very least, you can use it as evidence that backs up your version of events.
You might win your case not with the car accident report alone, but with a large amount of evidence. The accident report might act as the centerpiece. Even if it’s not the most crucial piece of evidence that convinced the jury you deserve financial compensation, though, it can play a part.
You might also add eyewitness testimony, hire expert witnesses, or show the jury video or photographic evidence. All that, taken together, may get you the result you want.
The police should give you a crash report at the scene. If you don’t have one, you can always get one from the department before the trial.
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