When accidents happen, police officers are among the first to respond and start figuring out what happened. Part of how they do that is by creating police reports so there is a record of the incident based on their observations right after it happened. Information like that can be very useful to plaintiffs pursuing legal claims of all kinds, so many plaintiffs want to get the police report for their accident as soon as possible.
You can get the police report for your accident either online or in person by going to the relevant website, police department, or DMV. Keep in mind, though, that it may take a little while for the report to get processed in a department’s records or uploaded online, so you may not be able to access it right away.
Call (803) 219-4906 and chat with the Rock Hill car accident lawyers with Rice, Murtha & Psoras today.
Ways to Obtain Police Reports in Rock Hill, SC
There are a couple of ways you can go about obtaining your police report in Rock Hill. First, you can go to the Rock Hill Police Department or other police department who sent officers to respond to your accident. You can also request a police report online. For online reports, you have to know what database houses the accident report, but our Charleston, SC car accident lawyers can help you figure that out and direct you where you need to go.
Go to the Police Office in Person
You can get police reports by going to the relevant department that holds those records. For incidents that local Rock Hill police respond to, you can go to the Rock Hill Police Department during business hours to get a copy of your police report. Be sure that you have a valid ID when you go. Additionally, the records offices of police departments often close before the department actually does, so be sure to arrive with enough time to have your request processed and well before the department closes.
However, not all police reports for incidents that happen in Rock Hill will be stored with the Rock Hill PD. If a police department other than Rock Hill PD responded, you would go to their police department instead. If a state trooper responded to your accident, you can get that report either online from the South Carolina DMV website or in person at the DMV.
Requesting Your Report in the Mail
You can also request your report by mail. For incidents involving the Rock Hill Police Department, you can mail a letter addressed to the Rock Hill Police Department, located at 120 E. Black Street, Rock Hill, SC 29732. For incidents involving state police, you will need to fill out a request form and mail it to the address on that form. Our lawyers can help you draft an appropriate letter that receives the attention it deserves from whoever you mail it to.
Get Your Report Online
Another way to obtain your police report is to use an online portal. However, Rock Hill PD does not appear to allow reports to be requested online on their website. However, you may still be able to obtain your report through an online service called “buycrash,” which hosts police reports from many different locations. You can go to the buycrash website and fill out the relevant information to obtain your report.
For incidents involving state police officers, you can request your report online on the South Carolina DMV website by filling out the relevant information. Note, though, that accidents that occurred before March 12, 2012 will not have reports available online.
What is in Police Reports in Rock Hill, SC?
Police reports have lots of information that is useful when preparing a lawsuit after an accident. Since police reports are created very shortly after accidents, they have a good picture of what happened, right after it happened, as it appeared to the police officer. This can be helpful because it is very often the case that trials for accidents happen years after the events in question, so certain details can be lost to time if not recorded. For that reason, information in police reports, although rarely introduced as evidence, can be crucial to a successful civil claim.
Potential Parties to Sue
A very important thing you may be able to get out of a police report is a list of potential parties you may want to sue. Officers will take notes of drivers involved in the accident and details about the vehicles they were driving. For example, if the person who hit you was driving a delivery van, the police report may detail the delivery company, who may be liable for your injuries depending on certain factors.
Details You May Have Missed
Let’s face it: car accidents happen fast, and there is a real chance that you missed something in the commotion, be that because you had to go to the hospital or because there was simply too much going on. Police reports can help our lawyers fill in information gaps and give you a more well-rounded claim to take to court.
In addition, there may be seemingly innocuous details in police reports that can help your claim. For example, suppose the driver who hit you claims that it was really hard to see because it was foggy. If the police report says that it was a bright, clear, sunny day, that information can be used to refute the defense’s claim.
Talk About Your Claim with Our Rock Hill, SC Car Accident Lawyers Today
Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s Summerville, SC car accident lawyers can be reached at our office at (803) 219-4906 to discuss your case.