After a car accident, a police officer will be one of the first people to get there and try to decipher what happened. An important part of their job in that endeavor is getting information from anyone involved in the accident or who saw it happen. Officers then compile this information in a police report to be stored in their department’s records. These reports are very helpful to anyone involved in a legal action following an accident.
If you wish to obtain your police report following a car accident, you need to know where to look. The Summerville PD, South Carolina DMV, or a third-party crash report database may all have a report of your accident on record, and you can get reports from these places online, in person, or via mail, depending on where you are getting your report from.
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What is a Police Report in Summerville, SC?
Police reports are detailed recollections made by police officers right after an accident takes place. These reports are then archived by police departments or other databases for use in legal matters involving those incidents later down the line. Police reports are sought by attorneys on both sides of legal cases because they can have important information that may not be detailed anywhere else.
How Do I Get My Police Report in Summerville, SC?
Since police reports can be so valuable to our Summerville car accident attorneys when building your case, you need to know how to obtain them. A police report can be obtained in several different ways and can be located in one of several different places. While the processes for getting your report will be somewhat similar from place to place, you do need to know where to look so that you do not waste time seeking information from parties that will not have it.
Summerville Police Department
The first place you should probably look for police reports of an accident in Summerville is the Summerville Police Department. The first way to do this is to go to the department and request your report from the records window. It will cost $5 to get your report this way.
The other way to get your police report from the Summerville PD is to do so online through crashdocs. This is an online database that has accident reports from many places. You will need to enter the relevant information for your accident in order to get your report. This includes a reference number, the date of the accident, and the names of the involved parties. If you have trouble getting this information, we can help you obtain it so that you can find your report.
South Carolina State Police
If your accident happened on a state highway or state police responded, you are going to have to go to a different source to get your police report. Reports for accidents SC state troopers respond to are located with the South Carolina DMV. You can obtain a report from them online, by mail, or by going to the DMV in person.
To get your report online, you can fill out the details of your accident on the SCDMV website. To get it by mail, you need to send the appropriate form to the DMV address. Finally, you can obtain your report in person from the DMV by going there with the appropriate form filled out and pay a $6 fee for your report.
Other Police Departments
Sometimes, a police department other than Summerville PD will respond to a crash in or around Summerville. When that happens, you will have to get your report from their department. Each department will do things a little bit differently, so you should check the appropriate website to see what options are available to you. Of course, our attorneys can help you figure out which department responded to your accident and what steps you need to take.
Why Are Police Reports Important to My Claim in Summerville, SC?
Police reports can help you out in many ways, and not just in lawsuits. For example, police reports can help you have a stronger insurance claim following a car crash. Suppose an insurance company claims that their driver was not responsible for an accident, but you have a police report that suggests otherwise. The information in that report can be used to help bolster your insurance claim.
In legal cases, police reports serve a similar function. They have many details that may have been missed in the commotion following an accident. Information like license plate numbers, names, and other identifying details are contained in police reports and can help flesh out your lawsuit. Much like in an insurance claim, details in a police report can help refute claims the other side makes. For example, if the defendant claims that they hit a pothole and lost control of their car, but a police report says that there were no potholes on that stretch of road during the accident, that can help your case and hurt the defendant’s argument in the lawsuit.
Will I Have to Wait to Get My Police Report in Summerville, SC?
Police reports take time to be recorded and archived. It may take a couple of days, a week, or even longer for your report to be on record, so do not worry if you cannot get it right away. The information contained in it can always be worked into your claim once we have a hold of it.
Go Over Your Case with Our Summerville, SC Car Accident Attorneys Today
Our Summerville personal injury attorneys can be reached by calling Rice, Murtha & Psoras at the number (803) 219-4906 for free case reviews.