There are many steps to recovering compensation after a car accident in North Bergen. One of the first is to get a copy of the police accident report, which our attorneys can help you do and use it during your claim.
Police reports are typically full of useful information and often necessary to process an accident claim with an insurance company. In most cases, the local municipal police will investigate accidents within the city limits and draft the report. However, the county sheriff’s office also has jurisdiction over North Bergen accidents, so your report may be in their records. Accident reports are also made by the NJ State Police for accidents on toll and non-toll roads, like Route 9 in North Bergen. Be sure to report your crash immediately after, and our team can gather the report after you get medical care.
For your free case review with our car accident lawyers in North Bergen, call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. today at (201) 777-1111.
How to Get a Police Report After a Car Accident in North Bergen, NJ
When you are injured in a car accident, or the accident likely involves over $500 in property damage, N.J.S.A. § 39:4-130 requires you to give notice of the crash to the local police department, county sheriff’s office, state police, or the nearest law enforcement agency as soon as possible. The goal is to have the police investigate the collision immediately after it happens while those involved are still on the scene. This allows law enforcement to gather important details and descriptions of the event, including who was involved and the investigating officer’s observations of the wreckage. Afterward, the investigating police department will draft a report that will be crucial to recovering compensation in a later legal claim.
The problem for many car crash victims is knowing which police department investigated the accident and how to get the collision report that was drafted. Our North Bergen personal injury lawyers can help get your report from the right police department and use it to build your case against the negligent party. The municipal North Bergen Police Department (NBPD) responds to most accidents in the township. However, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office’s jurisdiction covers North Bergen, so they might have a copy of your report. If your accident happened on an interstate or highway, the state police likely investigated the accident.
Reports from the Municipal Police Department
The NBPD is tasked with investigating vehicle accidents on surface roads in North Bergen, so they are usually the first agency to check for your report. You can confirm this by checking any documentation the police gave you at the crash site for the name of the department. If you did not receive the paperwork, our team can determine who has a copy of the report.
You have two options to get an NBPD police report, including picking it up in person or requesting it by mail. Currently, there is no online option to get an NBPD police report.
NBPD reports can be picked up in person from the department’s Records Bureau, located in the North Bergen Township Law and Public Safety Office, second floor. You can get your report by visiting 4233 Kennedy Boulevard, North Bergen, NJ 07047, Monday to Friday, between 9:00 am to 3:30 pm.
Accident reports can also be obtained by mail, which you can do by sending a written request to the address mentioned above. When you request a police report, you must have the Police Incident (or CAD) number handy to help speed up the processing of your request. You should also include your name, other involved parties’ names, the accident date, the time, and where the accident occurred. Our team can help identify the CAD number and draft your mail-in request to ensure that it includes all the necessary information so that the NBPD Records Bureau can find your report. The cost is $5.00 per request, but two copies of the report are provided.
The NBPD recommends that you wait at least three business days from the accident for the report the be processed and made available. However, under § 39:4-131, police officers have five days to investigate an accident and submit it to the Department of Transportation. Keep in mind that your report might take longer to prepare if the accident involved fatalities, multiple parties, or other factors that make the accident more complex. If your report is still not available five business days after the accident, reach out to our attorneys to determine the cause of the delay.
Reports from the County Sheriff’s Office
North Bergen is located in Hudson County, so it is possible that your accident report was drafted by the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), as they might have arrived at the accident scene first or investigated it while assisting the NBPD.
If the documentation you received at the scene indicates that the HCSO made your report, you can conveniently get a copy of it online from CrashDocs.org. You will need the report or reference number, the last name of the party involved, and the date of the accident to access the report.
You can also pick up a copy from the HCSO Record Room in person if that is more convenient. To do so, visit Hudson Plaza, located at 257 Cornelison Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07302. The Record Room is open Monday to Friday, between 9:00 am to 3:30 pm.
Reports from the State Police
Perhaps your accident occurred on Route 9 or I-95. If so, the NJ State Police likely investigated your crash and made the report. The State Police are tasked with investigating collisions on toll and non-toll highways in New Jersey. Reports from the NJ State Police can only be recovered online and will cost $5.00 for toll road accidents and $13.00 for non-toll road crashes. However, reports for accidents involving fatalities can be found online here.
Contact Our Car Accident Lawyers in North Bergen Today to Get Your Report
Call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. at (201) 777-1111 now for a free case review with our New Jersey car accident lawyers.