When you are involved in a car accident, the police may come to the crash scene and conduct an investigation. Depending on the situation, this could include interviewing witnesses, giving someone a traffic citation, or moving forward with the process of testing a driver for drugs or alcohol, among other things.
In the aftermath of an accident, you may want to obtain a copy of the police report in order to determine what the police believe caused the crash and whether any drivers were in violation of the rules of the road. The information from the police report could be invaluable in proving an accident claim and recovering compensation.
Berry Law can help you with the process of obtaining police records from your collision. You should reach out to talk with an Omaha car accident lawyer at our firm ASAP to get help understanding your legal rights and gathering evidence for your claim. You can also read on to learn more about how to obtain a police report after a car accident.
Steps to get a copy of a police report after a car accident
If you want to get a copy of a police report after a car accident, you’ll want to try to figure out which police department took the report as you’ll need to reach out to those officials. This can depend on where you were located within the state when the incident happened.
In Nebraska, for example, the Nebraska State Patrol says that the Nebraska Department of Transportation keeps copies of police reports within the Department of Records. You can contact the Department at (402) 479-4645 or visit the Accident Reports link online.
If you were involved in an Iowa car accident, on the other hand, you’ll need to reach out to the Iowa Department of Transportation and request your report via mail. You will also need to pay a fee of $0.50 per document you are requesting.
Since the rules and processes vary by location, the best thing to do is to contact local officials and ask what you need to do to get your report.
A police report is just one important type of evidence after a car accident
Police reports can be an important piece of evidence after a crash, but there may be many other kinds of evidence you need to get as well.
For example, you may want to get footage from nearby security cameras that show the accident scene, or you may want to get the maintenance records and duty logs from a truck driver if the crash involved a commercial truck.
The best option you have for gathering all of this evidence is to work with an experienced car accident attorney. Your specialized injury attorney in Omaha can help you to assess all the different kinds of information you want to collect and take the right steps to obtain it, including getting a subpoena to compel people to turn over details if needed.
The stronger your claim, the better your chances of success in recovering monetary compensation in a car accident case, so don’t hesitate to get legal help as soon as possible in an accident so you can build a solid claim.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer at Berry Law Today
At Berry Law, our firm will help you get police reports and more to put together a strong case. Give us a call or contact us online today to schedule a free consultation with a car accident lawyer and find out how we can work with you to get justice.
