Effect of Not Having a Police Report on an Auto Accident Claim

Law

A lot of people tend to avoid filing police reports after car accidents if their car is not severely damaged. It is still possible to file claims against the negligent driver’s insurance company without a police report, but receiving compensation becomes harder. Generally, the attorneys who handle car accident cases suggest filing police reports to obtain the deserved amount of compensation for recovering all the damages and injuries caused by the accident. 

What happens if you do not have a police report?

A lot of people tend to realize later that their injuries from the car accident were not minor and serious instead. They are not disqualified from filing claims against the insurance company without the police report, but this is a significant difficulty in settling or negotiating with the negligent driver’s insurance provider. 

The insurers may argue that the incident never took place or that you had some part or role in causing the accident. Other than that, the insurance companies also try to display that the injuries did not result from the accident and disregard their severity. The insurance providers use this tactic for underpaying or denying the claim. The victims are denied compensation on the grounds that the accident was not that severe, or else they would have called the police. 

Other Sources of Evidence That Can Be Used For Proving Your Case

To receive compensation for all the damages caused by the accident, it is crucial to provide the necessary evidence for stating the fault of the driver. The evidence must display the negligent conduct of the liable driver, which resulted in the accident. Police reports are a vital source of evidence that contain details regarding the events of the accident and the statements made by the drivers and witnesses present there. It also contains a basic conclusion by the police officers regarding the party at fault. 

However, your claim is not entirely over if you fail to get a police report. Other evidence can be collected and used to display the crash events and prove the negligence of the driver at fault. The evidence includes statements made by passengers, testimonies given by eyewitnesses, photographs, video recordings of the traffic camera surveillance, black fox information, etc. Along with that accident reconstruction, experts are also helpful in reenacting the events of the accident based on available proof to assess the case and determine the driver at fault. Pictures of the accident, including the damage cost to the property and injuries, help establish the accident and its consequences. 

The aftermath of a rideshare accident in California can be overwhelming, but our rideshare accident lawyer in California is here to guide you through. We’ll work tirelessly to protect your rights and interests.