So, you’ve been in a car accident in Springfield, Massachusetts, and you’re wondering, “How does the police report affect my claim?” Well, the reality is the better that it’s documented, the easier it is to prove negligence that the other driver’s at fault.
Now, do you have to have a police report in order to pursue a personal injury claim? No. But then we run the risk of the other driver, the person who’s at fault, lying about what happened, not having the evidence, not having the witnesses, not having everything documented. So, when the accident happens, number one, don’t move your car, right? Stay where you are until the police arrive and they can see the scene. Because if you both move your vehicle and the other driver decides to lie, you’ve lost the physical evidence as far as the positioning of the vehicles to prove negligence. So, when the accident happens, leave your car where it is. Dial 911. Tell them that you’ve been involved in a motor vehicle accident, that you’re in the middle of the road, and you need a police officer there immediately. If you’re injured, of course, tell them that you need a rescue and make sure that a rescue is on its way.
Once the police officer gets there, you want to make sure you give him a detailed explanation as to what happened. If there are witnesses, you want to make sure the witnesses stay so that they give their information to the police officer. Often, you see witnesses leave before the police officer gets there. They might give you their name and they say, “Oh, I really can’t wait. I have to go to work,” and then they leave. The problem with that is, number one, the police officer might not believe you and, number two, their statement is not contemporaneous to the accident. We want a statement in writing in the police report from the witness themselves. So, while yes, you can pursue a claim without a good police report, you’re much better off having one. So, that’s my advice.
