Always Get a Police Report

If you are in a car wreck, make sure that you get a police report. While this may sound like something everyone already knows, we still have people come into our office who ended up needing to file an insurance claim and hire an attorney that did not call the police to the scene of their wreck.

Some people may believe that exchanging insurance information with the other driver is sufficient, but this usually is not enough. When the police are called to the scene, the officer’s report will include the results of the investigation and a determination of who is at fault for the wreck. Without that fault determination by the police officer, any claim you have to make with an insurance company could boil down to your word against the other driver.

Insurance companies will look for any excuse to deny your claim. If their insured driver is not determined to be at fault by a police investigation, this gives the insurance company the excuse they need to deny, or at least delay, your claim.

Getting a police report done can be a hassle. You have to wait for the police to arrive and then wait while they finish up their investigation. You have to find time to go pick up a copy of the report. However, it is well worth the time spent getting the report if you need to make a claim for your property damage or injuries. Even if you don’t think you will be making a claim, you should still get a police report done just in case you do need to make a claim later.