The more documentation and information we have when preparing your car accident compensation claim, the better, and that includes the police report pertaining to the crash.
If you need compensation, you should always get the police report for an accident you were injured in. It should be available within several business days after an accident, though delays can happen. You can get a copy of the report from the Mount Prospect Police Department in person, and may obtain reports from the Illinois State Police for accidents on I-90 online. For help obtaining, reviewing, and utilizing the police report after a car accident, turn to our lawyers.
To get a free case assessment from the Rhatigan Law Offices, call our Mount Prospect car accident lawyers at (312) 598-0014.
Do You Need to Get a Police Report After a Car Accident in Mount Prospect?
If you are injured in a car accident in Mount Prospect and may need compensation from the negligent driver, you should prioritize getting the police report for the recent accident as soon as possible.
You need to call 911 and report a motor vehicle accident that causes injury, death, or more than $1,500 in property damage or $500 in property damage for uninsured vehicles.
Even if your injuries or property damage appear minimal, err on the side of caution and call the police so that officers write and complete a crash report that our Mount Prospect personal injury lawyers can obtain and use in case of a compensation claim.
When Can You Get a Car Accident Police Report in Mount Prospect?
The sooner you obtain a copy of your car accident police report after an auto accident, the better. You can obtain yours as quickly as possible with help from our lawyers.
Within 10 days of an accident, police officers must finalize accident reports and send them to the Illinois Department of Transportation, though this sometimes happens sooner, especially for more straightforward accidents.
You may be able to get a copy of the report within several days. The report shouldn’t take long to become available, and our lawyers can contact the Mount Prospect Police Department about an unusually long delay.
Can You Get a Copy of a Mount Prospect Police Report for a Car Accident in Person?
Police departments tend to make it relatively easy for car accident participants to obtain copies of crash reports, since accident reports are among the most requested documents.
You may visit the Mount Prospect Police Department in person to obtain a physical copy of a car accident report. It’s always a good idea to call the non-emergency records phone number to see whether your report is ready for retrieval before making the trip.
Be prepared to provide your personal information, as well as details about the accident you are seeking the report for.
When Can You Get a Copy of a Police Report for a Car Accident Online?
The Illinois State Police might patrol and respond to accidents on highways and other major roads in and around Mount Prospect. For copies of these reports, victims can go online.
For accidents on I-90 just outside of Mount Prospect, the Illinois State Police may respond. If that happens after your accident, expect the crash report to be made available for digital download online within several business days of the collision.
What if You Need Help Getting a Police Report After a Car Accident in Mount Prospect?
You may be understandably preoccupied with recovering physically, mentally, and emotionally from a car accident and not have the time or energy to obtain a copy of the car accident report.
Our lawyers can help in these situations by obtaining crash reports for victims. In addition to obtaining the report, we can also inquire about unusual filing delays or glaring report inaccuracies.
Who Else Can Get a Police Report After a Car Accident in Mount Prospect?
Victims and their lawyers are not the only parties who may obtain a copy of a police report after a car accident in Illinois, which only makes getting and reviewing the report for accuracy even more important.
Anyone involved in an accident, including drivers, passengers, and insurance companies, can request and obtain a copy of the corresponding police report.
If a report contains inaccurate information, a negligent driver or insurance company might try to use it to their advantage to justify a lowball settlement. We can notify law enforcement of inaccuracies so they update reports to reflect what really happened.
How Can You Use a Police Report for a Car Accident in Mount Prospect?
Police reports for car accidents are especially helpful during the initial investigation stages of a case when our lawyers still need to identify eyewitnesses, all contributing causes, or the negligent driver.
Identify Eyewitnesses
When officers respond to car accident scenes, they may speak to eyewitnesses. In addition to asking eyewitnesses what they saw, police officers may also request their names and phone numbers to include in the report.
We can reference this information later to more easily identify eyewitnesses and schedule interviews that might reveal previously unknown details, such as the defendant’s conduct.
Identify Contributing Causes
The police report can also help us identity the contributing causes of an accident. The police report is not evidence of what happened, but it can indicate which avenues deserve further investigation.
Officers may give their opinions on why an accident happened, which we may use to inform our investigation.
Identify the Negligent Driver
You might have to go straight to the hospital after a car accident, preventing you from exchanging information with the negligent driver. The police report should contain the negligent driver’s name, contact information, and insurance information, which our lawyers can use to pursue compensation.
Get a Police Report After Your Mount Prospect Car Accident with Our Help
Call the Rhatigan Law Offices’ Illinois personal injury lawyers at (312) 598-0014 for a free case analysis.
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