Car accident police reports serve as vital evidence for insurance claims and lawsuits. But they aren’t always error-free. Officers create them quickly at the scene, and they may not take the time to double-check their accuracy.
If you find an error in your police report, correcting it is important to the success of your claim.
Police reports might contain either factual or subjective errors.
Factual errors pertain to the facts of the crash, such as:
While you may not think it is necessary to correct a typo in your name or address, doing so is a good idea. It ensures the car accident police report is a trustworthy document that the insurance company feels confident using as part of its investigation. It also prevents those errors from carrying over into other claim-related documentation.
Meanwhile, subjective errors might include opinions about how the accident occurred that you disagree with. For example, the officer who created the report may have suggested that you were at fault for the accident, even though you know the other driver was actually to blame. Or they may have claimed that you ran a stop sign or committed another traffic violation when you did not.
Correcting these errors is more challenging than dealing with factual ones, but they could prove crucial to your accident case.
Request a copy of your police report and review it closely for errors. If you find any mistakes, whether factual or subjective, follow this report correction process to amend them.
Call the local police station and ask to speak with the officer who created the car accident police report. Their name should be on the document.
Kindly inform the officer that you noticed a mistake in the police report and would like to request an amendment. If the error is simple, like a misspelling in your name and address, the officer may be willing to fix it without any additional evidence or documentation. But if you are requesting an amendment to subjective information, you’ll likely need proof.
Any documentation you can give the officer to support your claim will be helpful. If you want them to correct their opinion of how the accident occurred, offer to provide more photos of the damage, contact information for witnesses, video footage, and any other proof you have.
If you cannot provide solid legal evidence that the officer’s claims are incorrect, they may not be willing to change the actual report. But you may have other options for amending the document.
If all else fails, the officer may allow you to attach a new statement to the report. This would enable you to provide your perspective on what happened. The insurance adjuster will see your statement when reviewing the car accident police report and hopefully factor your side of the story into their fault determination.
Your statement can include photos, documentation, and any other evidence you have to dispute the error.
Correcting a car accident police report is not always an easy process, and having an attorney on your side can be helpful. At Fenstersheib Law Group, P.A., we provide compassionate legal support for Florida accident victims like you. Schedule your free case evaluation today by calling 800-TellRobert (800-835-5762) or 954-456-2488; you won’t owe us anything unless we win your case.
What are common errors found in a Car Accident Police Report?
Common errors include factual mistakes like incorrect names or dates, and subjective errors such as an officer’s opinion about who was at fault.
How do I correct an error on my Car Accident Police Report?
Contact the officer who wrote the report, provide supporting documentation or evidence, or attach a new statement with your perspective.
Why is it important to correct errors in a Car Accident Police Report?
Correcting errors ensures the report is trustworthy for insurance claims and lawsuits, and prevents mistakes from carrying over into other documentation.
The Lawyers at Fenstersheib Law Group, P.A. provide
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