Correcting a Police Report After an Auto Collision
If you were injured in a car accident, a police report can provide vital evidence to prove the other driver’s negligence caused your injuries. However, police officers are human and sometimes make mistakes. If you find errors in their report of your incident, our San Diego personal injury lawyer adds, you should take the time to have them corrected.
How to Get Factual Mistakes Changed
There are two types of errors in police reports: factual errors and disputed facts. Factual errors involve objective information and are easier to fix. They often include the wrong model or color of your vehicle or transposed numbers of your driver's license.
To correct errors like these, call the local police department that issued the report or look on its website to see if there's a procedure for correcting an inaccurate police report. Follow those directions.
If there's no method offered for error correction, contact the officer who wrote the report, provide them with the right information, such as a copy of your driver’s license, and ask them to amend the report.
Steps to Take if the Error Is a Disputed Fact
Disputed errors involve facts about how the accident occurred or who was at fault for causing it. It's much harder to correct these, but some steps you can take include:
- Be polite when discussing the mistake with the police officer.
- Contact law enforcement as soon as possible after you notice the error to try to get it corrected before the police report becomes final.
- Provide any evidence you have that shows why the report isn't accurate, such as witness statements, pictures of the damage to the vehicles, or medical records showing the seriousness of your injuries.
- If the officer won't change the report, which is likely for this type of dispute, ask if you can write a supplemental statement to be attached to it.
Your best strategy for getting a police report corrected is to hire a skilled San Diego car accident attorney to contact law enforcement on your behalf. To find out how I can help you with this—and fight for the compensation you deserve in your settlement—call my San Diego office today to schedule your free initial consultation.
