Blog Post
Reporting Car Accidents and Understanding Police Reports
Feb 29, 2020
One of the most important things to do after you're in a car accident is to formally report the accident to the authorities and your insurance company. When you call the police to report a vehicle accident, the investigating officer who shows up at the scene will fill out a report to record facts and the officer's opinions about how the accident occurred and who is at fault.
Do You Have to Call the Police After An Accident?
Sometimes people involved in a car accident ask the other drivers to refrain from calling the authorities to report the crash. It's a good idea to contact the police after any vehicle accident you're involved in, but you are legally required to call the police to report certain accidents.
New Jersey state law requires people to report any automobile accident that leads to any type of injury, death, or more than $500 in damage to the personal property of any one person involved in the crash. You can call the New Jersey State Police, the police office in the nearest county, or the local police department to fulfill your legal obligation to report an accident.
What's in a Police Report?
The police report will contain the basic facts related to the accident, such as the date, time, and exact location of the crash and the names and contact information of everyone involved in the accident as well as names of any witnesses. The officer will also note the weather, road conditions, and lighting level at the time of the accident.
In addition to the facts about the accident, police reports also contain the officer's opinions on exactly how the crash happened and who was at fault for the accident. Some police officers draw diagrams in their police reports to show the way they believe accidents happened.
The final report will also include descriptions of any property damage and injuries reported to the officer at the scene of the accident as well as any tickets and other legal consequences for traffic violations and any other broken laws.
Why Do You Need a Police Report After an Accident?
If your car is damaged or you're hurt in an accident, having a police report will make the process of getting compensation much easier. New Jersey is a no-fault car insurance state, which means you must report any accident that results in any kind of loss to you to your own car insurance company to file a claim.
Whether you file a claim for damage to your vehicle or compensation for an injury, your car insurance company will likely obtain a copy of the police report to begin the company's own investigation into the circumstances of the accident.
The insurance company's investigation report can agree or disagree with the findings in the police report, but if your vehicle damage or injury is noted in a police report it's harder for your insurance company to deny your claim.
Injured accident victims who fail to report their accidents to the police find it much more difficult to negotiate a fair settlement since insurance companies can argue that if you were injured then you were legally required to call the police when the accident occurred.
Police reports are also valuable to attorneys. If you're injured in a car accident, it's best to speak with a personal injury attorney as soon as you can to make sure you get the compensation you deserve. Your attorney can look at the police report to see if it would be admissible in court and, if so, whether it is favorable to your case.
Borbi, Clancy & Patrizi represents personal injury clients in the greater Marlton, New Jersey area. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury in a vehicle accident, contact us
today to schedule an appointment for a free consultation to discuss your case.