Some truck accident victims do not contact the police and obtain a case report following the accident. They think that the damage is negligible, and they suffered few or no injuries. They might discover that the damage is not minor, and they begin experiencing symptoms of the injury after some days. After realization, it might be too late to file a claim because you will not have the proper evidence to file the report. Therefore, you might need an Ontario truck accident lawyer if you need legal help for a truck accident.
Importance of filing a police report after a truck accident
Even if it is not essential to file a police report for your injuries, it provides the insurance company with important information about your claim. Not having a police report weakens your claim, and it makes the accident seem insignificant and not the one where you suffered significant injuries. Here is some important and helpful information for filing a police report for your case.
- Take statements.
Your police officer will take necessary statements from you and the other driver and put the information in the police report. You will get information about how the other driver claims the crash happened and can also involve proving statements where he confesses his fault. In addition, police can include statements of witnesses that verify the other driver’s negligence.
- Provides you with contact information.
The police report will have the other driver’s contact information and his insurance company, which you might need to file a claim and provide witnesses to the accident.
- Description of the accident.
The police officer will note the description of the whole incident and narrate the conclusions as to who was at fault. The report will contain the number of people injured, vehicle damage, weather conditions, and other factors that led to the crash.
How long should you wait for filing a police report?
You have to file your police report within 24hours of the accident, and if you do not, it may harm your odds of recovering damages of the injuries.
Following are the reasons why you need to file a police report.
- The report shows and proves that the defendant was at the scene. It may seem apparent, but there are many cases where defendants try to claim that they were not present in the accident.
- A police report will help you recover your car damages from an uninsured motorist.
- It will also help you in investigating a hit-and-run case.
Filing a police report is the most crucial step to recover damages. Whether or not you have contacted the police after an accident, you are allowed to compensate for your injuries from the driver’s insurance company.
