How Police Reports Affect Insurance Claims.

When the police arrive at the scene of a car accident, they usually conduct an investigation that may include interviewing the people involved, as well as any witnesses, and they examine any physical evidence of the car crash such as property damage or skid marks. Their police reports also determine who caused the automobile accident.

What Is in the Police Report?

Police reports have many different roles in car accident cases where personal injuries are involved. First, police reports provide information about the people involved in the car accident including names, phone numbers and addresses. The police also write down the insurance of all the parties involved, including the name of the insurance company as well as the policy number. They also include information provided by witnesses and their contact information.

The police report for your auto accident with also have an officer’s description the property damage to the vehicles involved. In our experience, the categories used to describe property damage — minor, moderate or major property damage — can be wrong or misleading. The police will also draw a diagram of where the car accident happened.

Most importantly, police reports may also provide the investigating officer’s opinion of who is fault for the automobile accident. Please note that the police are not always correct in their assessment of car accidents.

What Happens if the Police Report Is Wrong

Any mistakes in a police report can be extremely detrimental to you in a personal injury claim. Incorrect investigations may put the wrong person at fault, and that party’s insurance company will be forced to argue that the police report is incorrect. This could leave you in the unenviable position of having to pay the bill for your injuries and property damage.

An experienced personal injury lawyer should be able help you fight the effects of an incorrect police report. That is just one of the many reasons why hiring a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after a car accident only increases the chance that your side of the story will be heard and documented fairly.

Call Us Now For Help with Your Insurance Claim

Since 1992, our San Diego law offices have been helping people just like you recover the maximum financial compensation for their personal injury. You shouldn’t have to worry about fighting insurance companies, so leave that to our experienced personal injury attorneys. Let us help you recover the maximum personal injury settlement by properly filing your insurance claim.

Leave the personal injury claim process to us. It’s what we do.

If you would like help with your personal injury claim, then please contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.

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[caption id="attachment_21715" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo Credit: The San Diego Union Tribune"][/caption] Last week, we reported on a car accident in San Diego that resulted out of alleged teen street racing. In new developments, the 18-year-old driver charged with the death of the two teenagers involved in the street racing has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter among four other charges according to reports at the San Diego Union Tribune. The news follows the earlier arrest of another 16-year-old driver that was taken into custody on similar charges. Just shortly after his arraignment, Michael Johnson, the 18-year-old driver of a Volvo S40, said, according to his attorney, that he is not the responsible party in the tragic San Diego accident fatalities that occurred April 4. Accident reports indicate that Johnson was returning from a spring break beach party in La Jolla when he was allegedly involved in a street racing contest with another teen driver – the unidentified 16-year-old driver of a Volkswagen Passat whose name has not been released since he is a minor. According to Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler, the two vehicles were zigzagging across lanes at speeds reaching up to a staggering 100 m.p.h. The 16-year-old driver in the Passat lost control over the vehicle, causing the car to flip over several times across multiple lanes of the road. Two passengers, Anthony Foreman, 18, and Jayli Campbell, 16, were thrown from the Passat and died at the scene of the accident. Two passengers survived the crash. Charlotte McQuillen, survived the accident although she suffered serious injury as a result of the collision including reports that say the teen will have to recover from traumatic brain injury. Anthoney Taylor, 16, also survived the crash although his injuries are unclear at this time. Johnson did not flee the scene of the accident according to police reports and cooperated with authorities once officers assessed the scene of the collision. The teen has no prior criminal record, although authorities say his vehicle was found containing a small amount of marijuana. Johnson is being charged with intoxicated driving, although his lawyer says there were no field sobriety tests to confirm the teen’s alleged intoxication. Teen driving: reminders for concerned parents Last week, we blogged on actions parents can take to prevent teen car accidents. Tips include:

Sign a parent-teen contract. Download your free contract now.
Enforcing the rules. Every teen driver needs to know that rules are there for a purpose, and when they are broken, consequences will follow.
Have a DUI backup plan. As most parents can attest, there are many instances when teen drivers run into problems that supersede their know-how and maturity. Drinking is one of those problems. In cases of emergency, your teen should have an open-door policy where they feel safe to call you when they need help – such in the case of drunk driving or driving while intoxicated.

About the Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC The Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC are specialists in car accident injury. Every personal injury attorney in our San Diego office works hard to seek maximum recovery for every injured client. Your case is handled without any out-of-pocket costs, so do not hesitate to speak to a San Diego personal injury lawyer today for a free legal evaluation. Call us at 1-800-655-6585.