How a Competent Car Accident Lawyer Uses Police Reports to Build Strong Cases

In a busy and thriving coastal city like San Diego, car crashes are quite common. There can be numerous reasons, including inebriated driving, car part failure, bad roads, weather conditions, etc. After ending up in a car crash, you should seek medical attention. At the same time, informing the cops is necessary. A nearby police officer will cover the incident and generate a report. This police report is what your lawyer will use later to build the case. 

Why is a police report crucial for filing car accident cases?

A law enforcement officer responding to the accident scene creates a report that contains numerous details of the mishap. It can be made by either a CHP officer or an officer at the San Diego Police Department. This depends on the location of the car crash.

What does a police report covering a car accident include? 

It covers the following nuances:

• Names and contact details of the involved car owners/drivers.

• A description of the accident zone.

• Statements were recorded from the drivers, car passengers, and available eyewitnesses. 

• Details of the road conditions and weather.

• The observation of the officer at fault.

• A diagram of vehicle positions. 

The police report gives your lawyer a neutral, third-party account covering essential nuances of the mishap. The legal expert handling the case finds it easy to reconstruct the accident by using the report. To find capable lawyers well-versed in handling police reports, you can check out https://hhjtrialattorneys.com/san-diego-car-accident-lawyer/.

How do ace lawyers utilize police reports?

Lawyers use these reports in the following ways:

• Veteran car accident lawyers rely on police reports to understand how the accident occurred. They analyze such reports to find out the details, such as an offender hitting other cars, the location of the cars, traffic norm violations, etc. This can help them override any missing details and conflicting witness statements. 

• Ace lawyers use police reports to find out and contact witnesses, too. The report usually contains their names and contact details. Sometimes, the statements of key witnesses can make or break a case!

• A police report contains the timing details, which your lawyer may find useful. They can find out the arrival time of the officer, when the call was made and when the report was filed. These nuances help the lawyers create a sequence of events, useful in accidents involving several vehicles. 

• The report descriptions may mention evidence like skid marks, debris, vehicle damage, etc. Ace lawyers use these details to gather more evidence. 

Usually, lawyers access the CHP or SDPD to get copies of such car crash reports. 

Is it enough to build the case?

While police reports are useful for car accident lawyers, they cannot rely solely on them to build their cases. They also need the medical report to determine a suitable compensation amount and contact the insurers. Besides, they sometimes rely on digital evidence like CCTV clips and AI technologies for crash scene reconstruction. 

Wrapping it up

A police report can be useful for your lawyer in developing the case. However, if possible, you should act wisely and gather evidence at the accident spot. Taking videos and images of the cars and scenes is useful in this regard. Keeping the medical documents in place is also a prerequisite.