Always call 911 after an accident in Newark so that officers can process the scene and write a report, which our lawyers can help you obtain in the following days.
To get a police accident report for a car crash in Newark, victims must first identify the responding policing agency. This could be the Newark Police Department or the New Jersey State Police, depending on the accident’s exact location and available police resources at the time. Victims typically need to provide information about the accident, like its location, date, and time, as well as their personal information, in order to locate reports from law enforcement. After we have the report, we will start reviewing it with you to ensure its contents are accurate. We can then use the information learned from the report to start preparing your case. For example, eyewitnesses mentioned in the report might provide compelling testimony, and our lawyers can interview them right away.
Call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C., at (201) 777-1111 for a free case review from our Newark car accident attorneys.
What You Need to Know to Get a Police Report for a Car Accident in Newark
Before getting a police accident report for a crash in Newark, victims need to know which police department responded, when and where the accident took place, and other information, like the report number.
The Responding Policing Agency
First, you must know the responding policing agency to identify which department has jurisdiction over your case and would have filed the police report. Depending on where the accident happened exactly, officers from the Newark Police Department or the New Jersey State Police might respond. Ask officers to confirm which police department they are from, as this might make locating your report easier in the future. If you cannot remember these details because of the trauma and stress of the crash, our lawyers can assist on this front.
You can retrieve reports directly from the police department by contacting them in person, but many also have online portals.
The Accident Date, Location, and Time
You may also need to know the accident’s basic facts and details, like its date, location, and time. When requesting police reports in person, victims or our lawyers must provide identifying information to help police department staff locate the report.
This information can help our Newark personal injury attorneys in other ways, besides getting the police report. For example, when we know the accident’s exact location, we can survey the area and look for possible surveillance systems or security cameras that might have recorded the crash.
The Police Report Number
Each car accident police report has a corresponding number, which can make locating these reports simpler in the future. Officers should tell you this identifying number while you are still at the accident site, though not all victims remember this information, especially when reeling from serious injuries. If you do not know the report number, do not worry; our lawyers can use other means to locate and obtain your accident report.
Your Personal Details
On top of giving information about the accident itself, victims must provide their personal identifying information to get a report. This might have to give their first and last names, driver’s license numbers, vehicle identification numbers, and contact information. While you might have access to all the personal information you need to get a report, our lawyers can also help you obtain the document.
The Other Driver’s Details
Typically, victims don’t need to provide the negligent driver’s information when attempting to get accident reports in Newark. However, if you are having difficulty obtaining the report from law enforcement, our lawyers can confirm your involvement in an accident by identifying the other party involved. Also, while the police report can serve as a reference for the other driver’s information – like their name and insurance details – confirming that the listed information is correct is important. If you also collected the other driver’s information, our attorneys can compare what you wrote down at the scene to what is in the police report to ensure it is correct.
What to Do with a Police Report After You Get it in Newark
When we have the accident report for your recent crash in our possession, our lawyers can use it to pinpoint the accident’s cause. Ensuring the report is accurate is crucial, regardless of its admissibility in court. Once we have the report, we will take the following steps:
Check for Errors
The first thing our lawyers will do with the report after getting it is review it with you to catch any possible inaccuracies. We may use this document as a reference throughout your case or use it when engaging in accident reconstruction, which could help prove liability. If there are errors in the report, we can promptly contact law enforcement to alert them to the issue. If inaccuracies go unchecked, they might benefit the defendant in your case, which is why our lawyers will carefully read the accident report once we have it in our possession.
Look for Witnesses’ Contact Information
We will also check whether police officers talked to eyewitnesses at the scene. While any witness statements given to law enforcement and included in the report itself might be inadmissible hearsay, we can conduct separate interviews with eyewitnesses to preserve their statements and introduce them as evidence in your case. Although witnesses often remember catastrophic events, waiting to interview them is risky, as their memories might fade. That would make their statements or testimony less impactful to a jury if your case goes to trial.
Review Photos
On top of recording information in a crash report, officers might also take photos of the site and vehicle damage. These additional materials may be available alongside the accident report and could give our lawyers and accident reconstruction experts a clearer idea of the sequence of events. Victims can preserve photographic evidence of their own by taking pictures of the damage to their cars and any physical injuries at the scene.
Call Our Lawyers in Newark About Your Car Accident Case
Call the New Jersey car accident attorneys at Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C., today for a free case assessment at (201) 656-7828.