Police reports can shape our lawyers’ initial investigations into accidents in Union City, so getting them is paramount. As a party involved in the accident, you have a right to the information in the report, though you may be unsure how to obtain it.
How you get your police report will depend on who responds to your accident. For example, your report may come from the Union City Police Department, in which case you can obtain it in person or request it be sent to you via mail or email. For accidents on major roadways near Union City, officers from the New Jersey State Police might respond, in which case victims can make report requests online through a specific portal. We can verify the appropriate retrieval method for you and facilitate you getting the report as soon as possible after the accident. When reading the report, we’ll look for possible contributing causes, eyewitnesses’ information, and anything of note officers mentioned that may require further investigation.
For a confidential and free case evaluation from our Union City personal injury lawyers, call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. at (201) 777-1111.
Ways to Get Your Police Report After a Car Crash in Union City
Depending on who responded to your crash in Union City, you might have to use different methods to obtain the resulting accident report. Our lawyers can confirm the best way for you to get your report and facilitate the retrieval so that we can promptly review its contents to see how they might impact your case.
From the Union City Police Department
If officers from the Union City Police Department responded to your accident, that is where you may go to retrieve your report. While officers aim to get these reports processed within three days of collisions, New Jersey police departments have up to five days to finalize reports. To access your report in person, you should bring the incident number, or the CAD number, as this will help police department staff in the Records Bureau locate the appropriate materials. The Union City Police Department Records Bureau also sends reports through the mail upon request. You can also have the report emailed to you when you request a police report, and you may have to provide certain identifying information, such as your name and your driver’s license. Our Union City car accident lawyers can help compile the necessary information, like the report number, so you can access the report as soon as possible after your collision.
The Records Bureau is on the first floor of City Hall on Palisade Ave in Union City, as is the police department’s headquarters, and is open to the public Monday through Friday, from nine in the morning until three-thirty in the afternoon. Motor vehicle accident reports directly from the Union City Police Department cost just $2. Payments can also be made online to access reports.
From the New Jersey State Police
There are several toll roads and non-toll roads in and around Union City, like I-95 and Route 9, meaning the New Jersey State Police might respond to your collision, depending on its exact location. If that is the case, you could visit the New Jersey State Police’s online portal to acquire your report. After navigating to the website, you select the roadway the crash occurred on and proceed to search for your report, whether by case number, license plate number, driver’s license number, or your last name, as well as the crash date. Once you provide your information and the request is approved, the report will be sent via email, and we can begin reviewing it with you. Bear in mind it could take up to 14 business days for crash reports to be uploaded to the online portal. Non-toll road crash reports from the New Jersey State Police cost $13 to download. In contrast, toll road reports cost $5, and there may be additional fees for other materials included in the report, like photos and other digital media. Furthermore, if the accident involved death or serious bodily injury, the cost could increase to $20 for a report.
How Soon Should You Access a Police Report After a Car Accident in Union City?
Officers need to finish police reports and make them available within five business days of collisions. This enables victims to get their reports relatively quickly after accidents, providing us with useful information that might indicate its cause, reveal eyewitnesses’ identities, or lead us toward other evidence we can use in an upcoming compensation claim.
Though inadmissible as evidence itself, the police report will help us learn more about the accident’s sequence of events and immediate fallout. The sooner we have this report, the sooner we can flag any inaccuracies or identify potential negligent conduct. For example, officers might note that witnesses were present and write down their contact details. We could then get in touch with eyewitnesses and ask them detailed questions about what they saw. If you could not talk to witnesses because of your injuries, the police report might be the best way to identify them after the fact.
The police report will also note the accident’s environment, time of day, and exact location. We can survey the crash site for possible traffic signs the at-fault driver might have ignored and even nearby traffic, security, or doorbell cameras that may have filmed the event. We can also review photos officers took of your injuries or property damage and give them to accident reconstruction experts aiding your case.
We can stress the importance of acquiring and reviewing the police report early on in your case and help with it so that we have all relevant information while investigating the accident and preparing your lawsuit.
Call Our Lawyers About Your Recent Auto Accident in Union City
Call the Union City car accident lawyers of Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. at (201) 777-1111 for help with your case.