In any legal scenario, the timing always plays a crucial role when it comes to attributing fault and deciding the amount of compensation to distribute. After a car accident in Live Oak, Florida, a person is expected to report it immediately or, at least, at their earliest convenience. If a person does not find it possible to report the accident right away, then they only have up to 10 days to file their police report. If they try and file a report after this timeframe there are very high chances that one’s case will not be considered with high importance.
Also, failing to report a car accident is considered a noncriminal traffic offense and anyone who has done this can be penalized by the court. However, it is only necessary to report a car accident in certain cases. A driver is required to report a collision if significant damages occurred (more then $500 of damages). A person is also required to file a police report if there were any injuries or deaths caused by the collision.
If there was an intoxicated driver involved in the collision, or the collision involved a commercial vehicle then it is necessary for a person to inform the police. If a person fails to do so they can be penalized with having to complete a certain amount of community service.
Is it a smart idea to file a police report?
It is always a good idea to file a report even if there were no apparent injuries and no major damages to one’s vehicle. It is safer to have the collision on record in case a person later realizes their vehicle was damaged internally or they suddenly experience constant pain later on even without suffering an obvious injury.
An accident lawyer in Live Oak, Florida can help a person fill out their police report correctly without missing essential details. In many cases, individuals end up including unnecessary information in their police reports or missing major details and this leads to them losing the cases or receiving less compensation then they should have received when matters escalate to a court trial. An attorney will be able to assist a person right from the beginning to ensure the process runs in a person’s favor as much as is possible.
What information do I need to file a police report?
Generally, a person will need to include the following in their report:
- The timing of the accident
- The location of the accident
- Contact information of all the drivers and witnesses involved
- Insurance information
A person should always try their best to immediately write down what happened right after the accident takes place. A person can do this by quickly jotting down notes on their phone or texting a loved one the details of the collision. The reason it is important to write everything down is that many times, when a person goes through a traumatic event, exactly what took place can get mixed with a person’s feelings and lead to an inaccurate description of the reality of the event. The longer one waits to write it out, the more chances their story would have changed in their mind to differ from reality without them even realizing it.
