Most people wrongly believe that the police reports for their accidents are not meaningful. But if you’re looking to be rightfully compensated, filing a police report strengthens your case and influences the compensation determining procedures, especially when evidence has been ruined. Considering that some accidents, injuries, and symptoms take longer to present themselves, adding your medical expenses to the compensation list can be challenging without a police report that supports your damage claims. The auto accident attorneys at Bengal Law advise on filing a police report immediately after an accident or shortly after you have received medical attention.
What Is A Car Accident Police Report?
A car accident police report is a document written by the police that outlines the evidence of your accident. It entails the involved parties, damages sustained, and other vital information, including the accident’s location. It also contains the date and time of the accident, injuries of victims and witnesses, and witness or other drivers’ statements about the accident. Depending on the nature and severity of the accident, a police report can be a single page or many detailed pages. When the filing process is over, you’ll be given a police event number. The event number operates as the initial source that supports your accident claim in court if you don’t agree with the defendant to settle the matter out of court through mediation and other non-legal procedures.
The Importance Of A Car Accident Police Report
As an official document, your police report is always considered a more definite opinion compared to the arguments you and the defendant bring to court, mediation, or other accident settlement places.
1 Serves As Your Source Of Evidence
For instance, if you’re involved in a minor accident that damages your car or results in minor body injuries, you might not think of a police report as an essential consideration. But, because you don’t know if the defendant might deny their fault later, a police report helps you prevent this situation. The report keeps the initial records of what happened, and it is used as a source of facts in court and other settlement places.
2 Supports Your Case When Insurers Deny Your Claim
Most insurance companies often fail to settle claims citing invalid information. A police report claim makes it easy for you to sue your insurance company. The report carries all the initial facts, damages, and other vital information you can use to estimate and determine the rightful monetary compensation you deserve. Whether you report your claim past deadlines or immediately, your insurance company will often process your suit faster than they would without a police report. Otherwise, if your claim is based on word of mouth, it can be difficult to compensate you, considering such cases are usually rendered invalid.
3 Serves As A Requirement For Filing A Lawsuit
When each party files a lawsuit, an accident police report becomes admissible in court. This is because the report will establish facts of what happened, the potentiality of who is at fault, and records of any additional and essential information that helps settle the matter right. On top of that, you need to have a police report when filing a lawsuit regardless of who is at fault to help you reduce the odds of paying more than the victim deserves, mainly when compensation is based on the show of evidence.
4 Helps Add Records to Your Claim When Injuries Develop After the Accident
Developing injuries after the accident or some days or weeks after you’ve already claimed compensation can be challenging to add to your initial compensation value. Presenting a police report to the court is often used to prove that later injuries were also caused by the accident and no other reasons. On the other hand, a report also prevents other people from faking related injuries, making you liable for compensating them if you’re the defendant.
5 Serves As A Record For Later Vehicle Damages Due To The Initial Accident
Sometimes your vehicle might look undamaged but later show damages you didn’t find when you inspected it immediately after an accident. A police report at this time will help you establish the link between the accident and the damages. It will also prevent people from faking damages later and claim compensation from you when you’re the defendant.
