After a car accident, drivers are often required to contact the authorities and remain at the scene until they arrive. The police should draft a report about your crash, which you can use in subsequent legal actions.
Drivers often need police reports from accidents for insurance claims. Insurance companies often require a police report to know the claim is not fraudulent. You can also use a police report to find evidence for a lawsuit. To get a police report, you need to contact the police department with information about your case. If you are unsure which police department handled your accident, our legal team can help you figure that out. Police reports might take some time to complete, depending on the circumstances. Many drivers must wait a few weeks to get a report. It might take even longer if your accident is very serious or complex.
The police report from your crash might be important to your lawsuit. Our Naperville, IL car accident attorneys can help you get your case started. For a free case assessment, call the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502.
Why You Might Need a Police Report for a Car Accident in Naperville, IL
There are several important reasons why drivers might need a police report from a car accident. First, drivers must present proof of the crash to the insurance company when they file a claim regarding the crash. Second, the report might come in handy if an injured driver files a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver in the accident. In either circumstance, our Naperville, IL personal injury lawyers can help you handle your claims and take legal action.
Illinois is a fault-based state regarding insurance laws and filing claims for car accidents. As such, drivers often need to file third-party claims with the other driver’s insurance to get compensation. Additionally, drivers must present proof of the accident and their damages to the insurance company before any money is paid. Not only is the police report from your accident a strong piece of evidence, but it might also be required. Insurance companies will look for any opportunity to avoid paying. They often demand a police report to prove that the accident happened and that your claim is not fraudulent.
The police report might also be very useful in personal injury lawsuits. Although police reports are not normally admissible as evidence because they violate the rule against hearsay, they may contain useful information that plaintiffs can use to track down other evidence. For example, police reports often contain information about witnesses we can use to find people who can provide testimony in a trial.
Getting a Police Report for a Car Crash in Naperville, IL
To get a copy of the police report for your accident, you need to contact the police department that handled the crash. If your crash happened in or around Naperville, IL, there is a good chance that the Naperville Police Department handled your accident case. If your accident happened on an interstate highway in the area, your case might have been handled by the Illinois State Police instead.
To get a copy of your police report from the Naperville Police Department, contact their Department of Records at (630) 420-6157 and provide specific information about your accident. You may need to provide your name and personal information, the location of the crash, and a report number provided to you by the investigating officers. Keep in mind that there might be a $5.00 processing fee.
If the Illinois State Police handled your accident, we must contact them to get a copy of the police report. The ISP allows drivers to submit requests for accident reports through an online portal. If you need an unredacted copy of the report, you must get a subpoena or court order for the report to submit with your request. You can also submit a request for the report by mail if that works better for you.
What if I Do Not Know Where to Get a Police Report for a Car Accident in Naperville, IL?
You might be unsure who to contact about getting an accident report. In some cases, drivers are badly injured and rushed to the hospital before they can speak to the police. The police might begin drafting the report before they can speak with you if you are in the hospital recovering. As such, drivers sometimes are unsure which law enforcement agency or department to contact about a police report. Our Chicago car accident attorneys can help you determine who has your report and how to get it.
One method to figure out which police department handled your case is to use the location of the accident. Different departments often handle different geographic locations. An accident within the city limits of Naperville, IL will likely fall under the jurisdiction of local authorities. An accident on an interstate highway might instead fall under the authority of the state police.
When You Can Get a Police Report for a Car Crash in Naperville, IL
Exactly when you can access a copy of the police report from your car accident might vary based on your circumstances. Typically, it takes the police a few weeks or so to draft and file the completed report. At that point, it might take a few more weeks before you can get a copy of the report. Getting the police report could take even longer if your case involves severe injuries, deaths, or multiple drivers.
It also might take a long time to get a completed police report about your accident if a driver involved in the crash is facing criminal charges. The police will likely conduct a full criminal investigation before finalizing their report. If you are pressed for time and need information from the report to file an insurance claim, our Illinois personal injury lawyers can help you work with the insurance company and the police department to get the information you need.
Call Our Naperville, IL Car Accident Lawyers About Your Case Today
Police reports might be full of information crucial to your insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. Our Joliet, IL car accident attorneys can help you get the report as quickly as possible. For a free case evaluation, call the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502.
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