Each driver, pedestrian or bicycle rider that has been involved in an accident has the right to request a copy of the police report. There are many actions to take after officer has arrived at scene of collision. To start with, get the officer’s name and contact information. Later contact the law enforcement agency to which the arriving officer must report. Request a copy of the police report.
Actions to take after obtaining a copy of the police report
Study the facts and conclusions in that same document.
—Is the time and date, correct?
—Is the location correct?
—Had the officer noted any illegal driving moves that were made by either party? Had the officer given a ticket to either driver?
—Had the officer spoken with any witnesses? Had the officer spoken with eyewitnesses, or with individuals that arrived later? Were there statements from any witnesses in the report?
Understand that the recorded facts and conclusions could prove useful, if you needed some added leverage during the negotiation process.
What action should you take if some of the facts are incorrect?
Personal injury lawyer in Kanata could ask to add a statement to the report. That added statement could prove of value, if the insurance company were to claim that the accident could not be covered due to its location. Perhaps the arriving officer recorded the wrong location.
By the same token, the date could prove significant, if the insured driver had purchased his or her policy just the day before the accident. A mistake in the date might mean a denial of coverage.
If the officer had made a reference to the weather, you might need to clarify the accuracy of that reference. Perhaps it had been raining heavily at the time of the collision, but the skies had cleared by the time that the police officer arrived.
You could make a copy of any statements from witnesses. Then you could show that recorded statement to the interviewed witness. In that way, you could check on the veracity of the recorded statements.
What other situations might push you to place an added statement in the report?
It could be that you were able to return to the scene of the accident and speak with some residents that lived in the area. That might have allowed you to learn more about the frequency with which accidents have taken place at that particular location.
Observations from residents could prove valuable. Any one of them might uncover facts that others had been hesitant to share with the arriving officer. Sometimes the sea of faces that surrounded an eyewitness can shape the nature of the specific details in the message that he or she shared with an arriving officer.