A police report contains important information about the car accident – and is a very powerful and useful document.
If you ever are in a traffic accident in St. Louis – even a minor collision – call law enforcement. Even if it’s just a minor fender-bender with no injuries, you should call the police so that a report can be filed. Here’s why this is so important.
What is a Police Report?
A police report is an unbiased report of what happened at an accident site and is filed by a law enforcement officer after they respond to the scene of a crash. This report usually contains quite a bit of information, such as:
- The precise location where the accident occurred
- The time and date of the accident
- The extent of damage to vehicles and property
- Injuries, if any, sustained by drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and any other involved parties
- Statements and identifying information of eyewitness
- Statements of each driver about their perspective of the accident
- Environmental information about when the accident occurred, such as road conditions, fog, etc.
Basically, a police report contains all of the information about the accident – and is a very powerful and useful document when it comes to proving negligence, fault, and responsibility.
Why Does Filing a Police Report Matter After a Car Accident?
A police report is a very powerful piece of evidence – whether or not you were at fault for the accident.
- Prove negligence & fault if you’re the victim – If you were the victim of a serious car accident, a police report has information that will help prove the responsibility of the other driver.
This is very important in “shared fault” states like Missouri, where your compensation can be reduced if you’re found to have contributed to the accident due to your own negligence. By using the police report, you can get an unbiased perspective, and make sure the facts of the case are correct during the process of recovering the compensation you deserve. - Protect yourself if you caused the accident – Even if you were at fault and caused the accident, a police report can help your St. Louis car accident attorney defend you from false claims. A police report that’s thorough and accurate will help if the other party tries to claim false injury, misreports facts about the incident, or lies to try to get more compensation than they deserve.
Speak With an Experienced St. Louis Car Accident Attorney ASAP
If you were injured in an accident and were the victim of negligence a police report can help a St. Louis car accident attorney build your case and get you the compensation you are legally entitled to.