If you are injured in a car accident caused by another person, first make sure you are okay and then call the police. The police will investigate your accident and write a report you can use later in your legal claim.
Our team can help you get a copy of your police report and explain how we will use it to start building your case. The first step is determining which police department investigated your crash since several operate in Palatine. Depending on where your accident occurred, the report could come from the local police, county sheriff’s office, or the state police. Each department has online methods for getting their reports, but you also have other options if you lack internet access. Your report could be available as soon as one or two days or take a few weeks to complete if the accident is serious.
For a free review of your case and how your accident report can help, call our Palatine car accident attorneys today at the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502.
Where and How Do I Get a Police Report for a Car Accident in Palatine, IL?
After getting injured in a Palatine car accident, you not only should but must report your accident to the police, according to 625 I.L.C.S. § 5/11-407(a). Police reports are integral to processing insurance claims to cover your damages and identifying other evidence to prove the other driver’s negligence, so you want to ensure the police have accurate information quickly.
After getting medical attention, our Palatine car accident lawyers can help you determine which law enforcement agency responded to your accident and the best methods to get a report from it. Palatine is in Cook County, one of the most densely populated counties in the country, which means several law enforcement agencies investigate crashes here. The following explains how to obtain a copy from each one:
The Palatine Police Department
The Palatine Police Department (PPD) typically investigates accidents that occur within Palatine city limits, so there is a good chance you can obtain your report from them. Most of the time, the quickest way to get a PPD accident report is to request it online via the TRACView service provided by LexisNexis’ BuyCrash.com.
After selecting the appropriate state and jurisdiction (police department), you can recover your report by completing all the questions in one of three options. For option one, you only need your report number to retrieve your report. If you do not know your report number, option two allows you to get it with your last name and accident date. Option three is to provide your last name and street location where the accident happened. Our team can help determine the accident details if you still cannot get your report.
The PPD also allows people to pick up a copy in person if they prefer by visiting its Records Section, Monday through Friday, from 7:00 am to 4:30 pm, except for Village holidays. The Records Section is located at 595 N Hicks Road, Palatine, 60067.
PPD reports generally take one to four business days to be available online or in person. If your injuries are severe or several parties and witnesses are involved, your report will likely take long for the investigating officer to prepare.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office
If your accident occurred outside of the Palatine Village proper, you might need to get a copy of your accident report from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). Currently, the only way to obtain a report from the CCSO is to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request online.
First, you must create an online account with the Request Center, after which you should receive additional information about how to receive your report. If the report is available, you will receive email confirmation, so make sure your email is entered correctly when creating your account.
However, CCSO reports might take longer to be available than PPD ones. The CCSO has five business days to respond to FOIA requests, not including the time the investigating officer takes to prepare the report. If your report is still unavailable after waiting a reasonable amount of time, our team can look into the delay.
The State Police
Illinois’s State Police (ISP) usually investigate accidents that occur on Palatine highways, like Highway 53 and the Northwest Highway. You can get an ISP accident report through the online EPay system or by mail, whichever you prefer.
The EPay option is likely the fastest and cheapest option, as the fee is $5 plus a small service charge. However, you will not recover your report instantaneously since each request is potentially redacted before being approved, as per 5 I.L.C.S. § 140/1. Thus, it could be 10 business days or more before you get an email from the ISP. If more time than this has passed, check your email’s spam and junk folders to see if the message was filed there and search for the email address ISP.CrashReport@illinois.gov or a subject line titled “Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Report.” We will enquire further if you still cannot recover it.
You must submit a written request to the ISP at the following address to get your report by mail:
Illinois State Police
Patrol Records Unit
801 South 7th Street, Suite 600-M
Springfield, Illinois 62703
Do not forget to include a check or money order made out to the Illinois State Police for $5. Cash is not accepted.
Whichever method you choose, the more information you can provide, the faster the ISP is likely to return your crash report. Include the names of drivers and passengers, when and where the crash occurred, and the report number, if known.
Reach Out to Our Palatine Car Accident Attorneys Today to Make the Best Use of Your Police Report in Your Legal Claim
Our Palatine personal injury lawyers at the Rhatigan Law Offices can provide a free case review when you call us at (312) 578-8502.
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