What If the Police Report of My Car Accident Contains an Error?

What happens if the police report of your car accident contains a factual error or if you disagree with it’s contents?

A police report is among the strongest pieces of evidence you can bring in a car accident claim. However, what happens if such an important document contains an error, or if you disagree with its content?

If you called the police at the scene of your car accident, you have made the right decision. A lot of problems can be avoided by doing so, like breaking state laws, being stuck in a “your word against mine” case, and finding out that your physical damage or property damage is worse than you thought. 

However, before you can start using the police report in your claim, it’s important to make sure that the information it contains reflects reality. 

What If the Police Report Contains Factual Errors?

There is a difference between the police report having an error you can verify, and it containing information that you simply disagree with (which we will refer to as “disputable facts”). 

Let’s say the police report has a typo in it, therefore a witness contact information piece is wrong, delaying the discovery process. Once you have your own evidence to prove that the police report has a factual error, you can notify them about it and request that they correct it. 

Police will look into it as fast as they can and will generally issue a corrected version, or add a note to the existing report. 

Disputable Errors

This situation is more challenging because it’s very hard to have it changed in the police report. The word and judgment of a police officer are very highly valued, although officers are human and may make a mistake.

In some cases, police can agree to attach your own statement to the record, so this is worth trying if the report itself cannot be changed. If your statement is approved as an appendix to the report, make sure it is accurate, concise, and helpful for your case. It’s best to have an experienced St. Louis car accident attorney review it before you submit it.

Why Have a Lawyer Review Your Case?

If you are dealing with a situation like that, we strongly recommend speaking with an experienced St. Louis car accident attorney. They can evaluate your case and decide to confront the situation by searching for more eye-witnesses or hard evidence of the accident, and by hiring expert witnesses to assess your case. 

As you probably imagine, cases that involve errors can prove difficult. However, if you have an experienced attorney on your side, your chances are much better already. Protect your rights and support your claim the best you can if you know that justice is on your side. After all, you have a right to fair compensation.

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