You’ve been in a car wreck, should you call the police? The answer is yes! One of the first things you have to do after being involved in a car accident is call the police. A police officer can secure your safety, provide emergency medical care and make an investigation.
What do police do when they arrive at an accident scene?
In Kentucky, you must contact the police if you have been involved in an accident, even if the accident is as minor as a finder binder. That way, the proper documentation can be recorded. Police usually include a witness statement, an accident reconstruction, photos of the scene and an interview of the drivers involved. The police will determine if there was a criminal action. They will consider whether speeding, alcohol, drugs, mechanical violations or other elements were a factor in the accident. They will then file the police report.
Police report
Subsequently, a written report will be filed with the officer’s law enforcement agency. The report will be filed with the Department of Kentucky State Police within 10 days after the investigation on forms supplied by the Department (KRS 189.635). Penalties will be given to any law enforcement agency that fails or refuses to forward the reports required by KRS 189.635. Police reports contain the following necessary information:
- Names of all parties involved in the accident
- Driver’s license number and birth date of all drivers involved
- Time and date of the accident
- Location of the accident
- Make, model and year of the vehicles involved
- Property damage caused by the accident
- Apparent contributing factors (driver inattention, weather, road conditions, etc.)
- Automobile insurance information
- Citations issued
What can you do if the police report has incorrect information?
A police report does not automatically reflect what actually occurred in the accident. It may contain minor errors such as clerical errors to serious mistakes like points of impact centered incorrectly, wrong speed or placed blame on the wrong party. Factual errors can be easily corrected but disputed facts are not. Amending disputed facts in the police report is difficult but getting a Kentucky attorney can definitely help you. If the statements you made during the police investigation or the conclusion you have arrived were different from what was written in the report, it’ll be hard to change it. However, you can do something. Your remedy would be writing up your own account of the accident and request that it be attached to the police report.
As a Kentucky Accident Attorney, I know being in an accident is tough on you and your family. It’s even harder if the information on the police report was incorrect. If you believe the police report had incorrect information or contains an error, you still have options. You may contact a Kentucky attorney to assist you with pursuing your rights.