Reading a Police Report For Car Accident in Nevada
The first thing you should always do when involved in a motor vehicle accident in Nevada or anywhere is to notify the police and file a police report, no matter how serious the accident is.
Not calling the police and filing a report could be costly when it comes to filing a claim for damages with your insurance company or other claims against the other participants in the accident.
The State of Nevada Traffic Accident Report is used by insurance companies as a piece of evidence in your case and can be the main determining factor of who is at fault in your accident.
If you file a personal injury claim or there are further criminal charges that are brought about later due to the accident, the police officer that responded to the scene of the accident may be called to testify and will use the police report as a point of reference in their testimony to the court.
Everyone who has a license and drives should know the details of a police report and how to read it.
Also after an accident you should immediately when it’s ready, request a copy of the police report and go over it to make sure the information is accurate.
Changes that need to be made should be made as soon as possible to avoid any future issues.
The team at The Richard Harris Law Firm can help you obtain, review and correct your accident report to protect you and your rights.
We offer free consultations after a car accident injury.
The Vehicle Information Sheet
The first vehicle involved in the accident is listed here. This also tells the location and direction of the first vehicle.
There is an at fault check box to be aware of, remember this is just the first officer’s first impression and not the final determination of fault.
Besides the first vehicle information this page also contains the driver of the first vehicle and injury of this driver can be found on this page.
Also the first driver and car vehicle insurance information is here.
Driver factors and vehicle factors are also located here for this driver, pay particular attention to these as they can contribute to the fault of the accident and the legal liability.
Also on this first page the responding officer will list what they see as the sequence of events that led to the accident.
Any traffic violations that are given to the first driver are also listed here. Traffic violations can affect the liability of an accident but don’t necessarily lead to being negligent, you can be negligent without being given a traffic violation.
Note: Across all pages of the police report on the top are the event number, accident number and agency name.
On The bottom: The investigating and reviewing officers names and badge numbers are listed across all pages.
All Non-Driver Occupants
This page contains the contact and injury information of any passenger occupants of the vehicle.
This only includes injuries that can be noted by the responding officers. The report can later be amended to add additional injuries after seeking medical attention, that’s why seeking medical attention is so important.
The bottom of the second page contains information if the accident involves a commercial vehicle like a school bus or a delivery vehicle.
Scene information Sheet
Date Time and Location
As you may have guessed this page has accident information including the date, time and location of the accident.
This includes things like roadway conditions and even the weather. Pay attention to all information on this page and make sure it’s correct.
If another driver was driving recklessly based on the conditions of the roads at the time of the accident this could have an affect on accident fault.
Also on this page: any non-vehicle property damage is described here.
On this page the investigating officers describe the events that caused the first harmful event and the subsequent events of the accident.
Read this carefully and make sure this narrative matches up with your version of events.
This is a continuation of the police officer’s version of events if needed. On this page a diagram may be drawn. Take particular note of this page and make sure the visual diagram is correct.
Any corrections should be made to the police officers to make changes and corrections.
Non-Motorist Information Sheet
This page contains information for any non-motorist that was involved in the accident. This includes pedestrians or bicyclists.
This page contains the names, contact and injury information of the non-motorist.
If the non-motorist was using a vehicle like a bike information of that vehicle will be listed on this page as well.
On this page the type of non-motorist is listed here, pedestrian, cyclist, scooter etc. This page also contains the injuries they sustained at the time of the crash.
Again injuries can be amended after medical attention was given.
If the non-motorist was hit by a vehicle, the vehicle information should be on this page and match up to the proceeding pages.
Occupant and Witness Supplement Page
This page of the police report contains contact information of any other witnesses or vehicle occupants who were not in the previous pages.
An example is if the accident involved multiple passengers like a van or a bus that has many passengers.
This may deem like a lot of information to take in but you should know how to read a police report after an accident.
To get a police report after an accident you need to contact the police department that was on the scene of your accident and request a copy.
The police will usually give you a card with the case number or report number on it and an email address and the address and phone number of the station and how to obtain a copy of your report.
When you consult with an attorney like The Richard Harris Law firm they will get a copy for you or you can bring it with you to your free consultation.
A police report is used by many insurance companies to decide what compensation you are entitled to.
Understanding how insurance companies use a police report.
Once you’ve had a car accident you are required to notify your insurance company that an accident has occurred.
The police report will be the main evidence the insurance company uses to determine if they will pay out your claim and how much you’ll receive.
Remember insurance companies are a business and you may have paid into your insurance and never had a claim but they will do their best to pay out the claim as fast as possible with the lowest amount possible.
Never take the first offer, this is the time for negotiations. They will always start low to try and settle the claim and fast as possible.
Never give statements over the phone or in person without consulting a lawyer.
The statements you give can be used against you to deny your claim or send you a lowball offer.
Make sure your police report reflects your version of events and you consult with a lawyer before speaking with any insurance company agent.
Statute of limitations in Nevada
Getting a police report after an accident doesn’t happen overnight it may take a week or two to get a finalized copy of the accident, longer if the accident was serious or involved a crime.
However there is a statute of limitations in Nevada of two years from the date of the incident to file a claim to recover damages.
Hiring a personal injury lawyer can make sure you get a police report in a timely manner and that your claim is processed within the statute of limitations.
Why hire a lawyer
You may think that hiring a lawyer after an accident is something you either don’t need or can’t afford.
That however is not the case, The Richard Harris Law Firm works on a contingency basis, meaning they take no money up front and only get paid when they win your case.
Also hiring a personal injury attorney assures that your case is filed within the statute of limitations and that all the paperwork is proper and correct.
You won’t have to deal with the insurance adjuster or the other parties involved in the accident. Your lawyer will do that for you so you can focus on your recovery.
To make sure your case is handled properly, hiring a lawyer like The Richard Harris Law Firm can give you a piece of mind today for a free consultation.
