If you were injured in a car accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you’ll need evidence to prove their fault and to recover on your physical, financial, and emotional losses, and one form of evidence that applies to virtually every car accident claim is the police report. It should be noted, however, that the car accident police report in your case may not address the matter of fault – especially if no tickets were issued.
While a police report can bolster your car accident claim, it won’t necessarily, and you likely need other evidence. The surest means of bringing a strong claim that supports your rights and rightful compensation is working closely with an experienced Texas car accident attorney from Moore Law Firm from the start.
The Texas Car Accident Police Report
The police report in your car accident claim can include valuable information about the accident that can be used as evidence in support of your version of how the accident happened. The kind of information you can generally expect to see includes the following:
- Identifying information about each of the involved driver’s, including information about their vehicles
- The exact location of the accident
- Photos of the crash site, which can depict physical evidence
- Statements made by eyewitnesses at the scene
- Any tickets that were issued, such as for DWI or speeding, which can include driving too fast in relation to the road’s condition or to the dangerous effects of bad weather – even if the driver didn’t exceed the posted speed limit
- Whether anyone was injured in the accident
Police officers aren’t required to address the matter of fault in their reports, but if they have a reason to believe a specific driver is at fault, they are likely to include the information in their report.
The Officer Wasn’t a Witness to the Accident
It’s very unlikely that the officer on the scene after your car accident witnessed it happen, which means that anything they write about the cause of the accident will be based on the available evidence, and this evidence is also available to you. In other words, if the officer does address the matter of fault, it’s based on their interpretation of the evidence.
It should also be noted that officers of the law are not infallible, and their reports are not always a perfect representation of how an accident happened.
In other words, if the police report doesn’t perfectly align with your version of events, it’s not necessarily a deal breaker. The police report is only one piece in the evidence puzzle, and while it can often be a primary form of evidence, this isn’t always the case.
Building Your Strongest Car Accident Claim
In order to build your strongest accident claim, you’ll look to your determined car accident lawyer to help gather and effectively compile all the available evidence, which will include the police report but won’t solely rely on this singular form of evidence. The strongest claims tend to have comprehensive evidence that clearly speaks to the at-fault driver’s wrongdoing, which can include all the following:
- The testimony of eyewitnesses at the scene
- Footage from dashcams, security cameras, traffic cameras, and bystanders’ phones
- Physical evidence at the scene, such as skid marks, paint transfer, and the vehicles’ landing positions
- The testimony of professionals with expertise in accident mechanics
- Professional accident reconstruction models that help create a visual representation of the accident
If the Police Report Isn’t an Accurate Representation of the Accident
If the information included on the police report doesn’t accurately reflect how the accident that caused you to be injured happened, it’s important to take the matter seriously. For example, if your injuries are coded as being less serious than they actually are, you’ll need to demonstrate that the officer’s early – and likely quick – assessment of your physical condition was inaccurate. Further, if blame was assigned incorrectly, it makes your job of proving the other driver’s negligence that much more challenging.
The good news is that your car accident attorney is well prepared and very capable of crafting a solid car accident claim on your behalf that will be difficult for the insurance company handling it to deny.
An Experienced Texas Car Accident Lawyer Can Help
While police reports play a role in most car accident claims, they don’t always address the matter of fault and they’re not always the most important form of evidence, which makes having a better understanding of how the police report will factor into your case key.
The formidable Texas car accident attorneys at Moore Law Firm have earned an impressive reputation for securing settlements and court awards for our clients that accurately reflect the full scope of their physical, financial, and emotional losses. We appreciate the opportunity to do the same for you.
Learn more about what we can do to help by contacting us online or calling us at 956-400-0000 today.
Frequently Asked Questions About Car Accident Police Reports
Q: Does a car accident police report determine fault in Texas?
A: While a car accident police report in Texas provides valuable information about the incident, it doesn’t always definitively determine fault. Police officers may include their assessment of fault, especially if tickets were issued. However, their report is based on their interpretation of the evidence at the scene, and ultimately, fault may need to be established through other evidence and legal processes.
Q: What information is typically included in a Texas car accident police report?
A: A Texas car accident police report usually contains identifying information for all drivers involved, the accident location, photos of the scene, eyewitness statements, any tickets issued (like for DWI or speeding), and whether anyone was injured. This information can be crucial evidence for a car accident claim.
Q: If the car accident police report is inaccurate, what should I do?
A: If you find inaccuracies in your car accident police report, it’s essential to address them. This is because the report is a key piece of evidence in your claim. You should work with a Texas car accident attorney who can help gather additional evidence, like eyewitness testimony or accident reconstruction models, to support the correct version of events and challenge any inaccuracies in the report.