Getting into a car accident can be a very stressful experience. Whether or not you are at fault, your entire day has been disrupted, and you have been left with a damaged vehicle. As a result, it is not uncommon for many motorists here in Texas to neglect to call the police. This means that they won’t have a police accident report to file with their insurance company or the one for the other driver. Fortunately, you can still file an insurance claim even if a police report wasn’t filed at the scene of the auto accident. However, having a car accident police report can be very helpful for a number of reasons.
A police report can help you with an insurance claim
When you file a claim with your insurance company or that of the other driver, it will be assigned to an adjuster. This person is charged with the task of determining how much you should receive in compensation for your personal injuries and the damage to your vehicle. The police accident report will be a key piece of evidence that lets the adjuster know how the accident occurred from an objective point of view.
The police report contains a number of important pieces of information. In addition to the location of the collision and the identities of the drivers involved, it also lists things like the weather conditions during the accident and a description of the damage to the vehicles and injuries sustained by the drivers and passengers. This will help the adjuster understand how fault should be apportioned for the crash. It also includes information about possible witnesses whom the adjuster can contact. Finally, the police report will include the police officer’s own observations and conclusions. These pieces of evidence can both help expedite the adjusting of your claim and assist you in getting the most compensation for your injuries.
What happens when I don’t have a police report?
You can still file a claim if you don’t have a police report. Unless you were involved in a hit-and-run accident, you probably exchanged driver’s licenses and insurance information with the other driver. This will help the adjuster handle your claim and coordinate benefits with the adjuster from the other insurance company if you are also claiming coverage under the other driver’s insurance policy.
However, if you don’t have a police report, you will have to find the other information yourself. Things like time, place, circumstances of the collision, and weather conditions may become an issue if you and the other driver have a difference of opinion. This would have been settled if you had a police accident report. Even if you and the other driver agree on what happened, the insurance adjusters may still be skeptical about what actually occurred and want to conduct their own investigation. When this happens, it could result in you having to wait longer to get compensated, with the ultimate payment being less than you would have received if you had gotten a police report at the scene of the accident.
When must I get a police accident report?
While a police report is not always necessary, in certain circumstances, you are required under Texas law to call the police to report a traffic accident. The specific circumstances are where the collision resulted in significant bodily injury or death or where property damage exceeded $1,000.
Obviously, if someone is injured or killed in a car accident, you should always call the police. They will be able to coordinate emergency medical care for anyone injured and also establish a cause of death in the unfortunate instance that this occurs. When it comes to property damage, many folks may not realize that the cost of repairs to most vehicles can easily exceed the $1,000 figure. This is why you should always call the police to report an accident, even if you think it was just a minor one.
If you have been involved in an auto accident, call our firm today
Regardless of whether you obtained a police accident report, you are going to need help with the legal process following a car accident. Call Hernandez Sunosky LLP today so that our team of experienced traffic accident attorneys can provide you with the assistance you need.