Any car accident attorney worth his salt says to always call the police is involved in a car accident. If you don’t call the police, you don’t get a police report. Sometimes, drivers will agree to just exchange insurance information and walk away. This is never smart. There are too many important reasons for you to contact the police following an accident.
A police report has some pretty valuable information on it, including:
- The names and insurance information for all involved
- Pictures of the accident scene
- Witness information
- Description of road conditions
- Statements from both drivers
- Statements from passengers
- A professional opinion of how the accident may have occurred
- Proof that a driver was under the influence at the time of the accident
Without this information, your lawyer will not have the information he needs to file your claim. However, if the information on the police report is wrong, you could run into some problems. Once you are done dealing with the police and have received medical treatment, contact a car accident lawyer in Houston, Texas.
Your Car Accident Lawyer in Houston Depends on the Police Report
Any car accident lawyer will tell you that he relies heavily on the police report in preparing your case. If this information is incomplete or incorrect, your lawyer is going to run into some issues. As soon as you get the police report, make sure you get it to your attorney. The two of you can read it over together and make sure all of the information is correct.
Some of the information is clerical and can be corrected. For example, if the police report spelled your name wrong, you can let them know and they can correct it. Sometimes, the police forget to mention whether the accident took place in the am or the pm. They can update their report to reflect this information.
Sometimes, however, the incorrect information is more important. For example, what if the police report says that your toxicology report indicated that you were “under the influence of alcohol and narcotics” instead of that you “were not” under the influence of these substances? A mistake like this can change the entire outcome of your case.
If you notice glaring issues like this in the report, your attorney will need to reach out to the police officer who prepared the report right away. He will also contact the defendant’s attorney and let him know that you are working on getting the issue corrected.
How Will Your Auto Accident Lawyer in Houston Handle a Mistake on a Police Report?
Some mistakes on a police report will be a lot harder to fix than others.
If the police report is wrong with any of the following details, it can be very difficult to get it changed:
- Who was at fault – The officer may have made a finding of who he believed was at fault. If he accidentally writes the wrong party’s name down as the responsible party, he’ll be reluctant to change this information.
- The road conditions – Part of the police report used to recreate accident scenes is the road condition report. If this information is incorrect or missing, the only way to fix it is to refer to pictures.
- If pictures were destroyed or omitted – There is always a chance that an officer could lose certain pictures of an accident scene. This is crucial because sometimes, pictures are the only way to prove who was at fault.
- Incorrect eye witness information – If the police report has the wrong name or contact information for key eyewitnesses, you may have a problem. There is not much chance to get the correct information once everyone has left the scene. Hopefully, you may be able to reach these people through social media or directory assistance. Chances are, the cops won’t have this information written down anywhere.
Your Houston personal injury attorney will work hard to get the report corrected. If he is unable to do so, he’ll just have to find other ways to prove that the defendant was at fault.
Contact a Houston Auto Accident Lawyer Today
If you’ve been involved in an auto accident, make sure you contact a Houston auto accident lawyer right away. Your lawyer can help handle the legal side of things while you focus on your recovery. Call McDonald Worley and schedule your free initial consultation today. It also costs nothing and it gives you the chance to meet with an experienced Houston car accident attorney to discuss your case.