How is an Accident Report Used in Personal Injury Law?
Accident reports are oftentimes key pieces of evidence in personal injury cases that include a car crash or pedestrian accident. Accident reports can help insurance companies determine fault, and because accident reports are written by law enforcement, they are considered legal documents that can help a victim prove their case.
When is an Accident Report Used in the Legal Process?
Although accident reports are written soon after an accident occurs, they are used throughout the legal process. In most cases, accident reports are given to insurance companies to help prove who was at fault. From there, an accident report can be given to a personal injury attorney to help them gather all the evidence and facts of a case. In some cases, accident reports are referenced in personal injury law cases to prove negligence.
Are Accident Reports used in Kentucky Personal Injury Law?
Yes, accident reports are key legal documents used in personal injury law in Kentucky. If you’ve been in an accident in Kentucky and the resulting property damage is over $500, and that accident wasn’t investigated by the police, you must fill out an accident report with the Department of Kentucky State Police within 10 days. To obtain an accident report, you can contact the police department with jurisdiction in the area of your accident.
How Does Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers Use Accident Reports?
Among the evidence that the legal professionals at Hughes & Coleman collect in the early stages of their investigations is the accident report. Accident reports tell our Tennessee and Kentucky personal injury lawyers the story of the accident from a different perspective. If the accident report includes witness statements, our investigative team can contact those witnesses to get even more information and evidence to help support our case. Additionally, accident reports can help our attorneys calculate some of the losses that were incurred at the time of the accident.
When you get an accident report (or police report) after your accident, Hughes & Coleman attorneys will reference the details in the police report in the demand letter to insurance companies in order to get negotiations started for your case.
