Obtaining a police report after a car accident in West Orange doesn’t have to be difficult with our attorneys’ assistance. We can explain everything you need to know about obtaining this crucial document and how we plan to use it when building your compensation claim against the negligent driver.
Accident reports from the West Orange Police Department are available in person and online. The report should be accessible within five days and may be ready even sooner. To get a police report, it must exist, so always call 911 to report a collision in New Jersey. We’ll carefully read the report after obtaining it and look for eyewitness information, accident descriptions, and other relevant information.
Get your free case review from our New Jersey car accident lawyers by calling Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. at (201) 777-1111.
Can You Visit the West Orange Police Department to Obtain a Car Accident Report?
Some victims prefer to get physical copies of police reports rather than digital ones. Once five days have passed since a collision, the corresponding crash report should be ready for pickup at the appropriate police department.
The West Orange Police Department’s Central Records Bureau is responsible for providing accident reports. Victims are encouraged to call ahead before arriving at the police department in person to obtain a report, ensuring it is ready for them.
Bad back, leg, head, and other serious injuries prevent victims from doing almost anything in the days after a collision, let alone going to the police department in person. We can retrieve an accident report on your behalf. Please reach out if you’re unable to obtain it yourself due to an injury.
Can You Obtain a Car Accident Report Online?
Participants in car accidents are also welcome to obtain their crash reports online. This is the more convenient option for most victims, and our West Orange, NJ personal injury lawyers can explain exactly what’s required to get a digital copy of the collision report.
Like many police departments in New Jersey, the West Orange Police Department uploads finished reports to CrashDocs.org. You confirm your involvement in a collision by providing your last name, the report number, and the accident’s date.
If the website doesn’t locate your report right away, you can do an “advanced search” by inputting your car’s VIN, license plate number, and the state it’s registered in.
Once it’s located and you’ve paid any fees, you can download the police report to have a permanent digital copy. Please send it to us promptly, and we can begin analyzing it to determine how we can utilize it for your case.
How Do You Get Police Officers to Write an Accident Report in West Orange, NJ?
To get a police report for a car accident, police officers must write one. To report a collision in West Orange, you must call the police immediately. Never hesitate to dial 911. If you’re injured, someone dies, or your car sustains more than $500 in damage, it’s mandatory under N.J.S.A. § 39:4-130.
Negligent drivers sometimes attempt to avoid police involvement, which would make it impossible for our lawyers to obtain a police report in the future. Your safety and financial recovery are the most important things after a crash, so always call law enforcement, even if another driver asks you not to.
The police report is most accurate when you are candid with law enforcement. Give them as many details as you can about the other driver’s negligence, like if you witnessed them speeding before the impact or if they apologized after the collision and admitted fault.
Stay at the scene long enough to talk to the police, unless you are severely injured and paramedics must take you to the emergency room. Stay and wait for law enforcement to complete the crash report, even if the other driver flees the scene.
How Do We Use Police Reports After Car Accidents?
Police reports provide the necessary information to fill in the gaps, determine the accident’s primary cause, and start building a strong case for victims in West Orange.
Identify Witnesses
Police reports are valuable because they often contain eyewitness information. Officers will often interview witnesses who remain at the scene after a collision and record their contact details. Identifying witnesses allows us to interview them and determine if their testimony will benefit your case.
Without the police report, identifying witnesses is much more challenging, especially if the victim did not speak with them at the scene; however, it is still possible with our lawyers’ help, so still reach out to see if you have a case.
Rule Out Contributing Factors
Reading the police report also allows us to rule out potential contributing factors and focus on the true cause of the accident, the other driver’s negligent or reckless conduct. An at-fault driver might argue that visibility was poor, road conditions were subpar, or some other factor contributed to the crash. The report will note the weather and road conditions at the time, which may let us exclude those as possible contributing factors.
Reconstruct the Accident
The police report is vital for accident reconstruction. It provides detailed information about the final landing point of each vehicle, including the direction it was facing and its speed upon impact. A convincing, accurate reconstruction of the accident may be enough to compel a very large settlement from the defense. Let our lawyers consult the necessary experts for your case and utilize all available resources to piece together what happened.
Police officers may even include drawings of accident scenes in crash reports, and can testify about the accident scene as they witnessed it if your case goes to trial.
Reach Out About Your Car Accident Case Today
Call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. at (201) 777-1111 for a free and confidential case assessment from our West Orange, NJ car accident lawyers.