If you encounter the highway patrol, maybe it is because you drove too fast and got some unwanted attention. If that happens, then you should learn your lesson and slow down a bit the next time you use the highway. However, you might also need highway patrol assistance if you get in a car accident.
If that happens, then you should feel happy to see them. The officers can help you if you’re injured. Maybe they can also assist you in getting your damaged vehicle out of the way of oncoming traffic.
While doing so, they will also take down some details from you and put them in their report. Highway patrol car accident reports contain valuable information, and you’ll need that report later in some instances.
In this article, we’ll talk about some situations where you’re going to need that report. We will also discuss what these reports typically contain.
You Can Use the Report if You Must Sue Another Driver
Let’s envision a scenario for a moment. You’re driving on the highway. Maybe you’re on your way back from work during rush hour.
Suddenly, another car plows into you. The driver lost control of their vehicle. The collision forces you off the highway and onto the shoulder. In the aftermath, you realize you’ve sustained some injuries.
You have to go to the hospital when the ambulance shows up. In the aftermath, someone from the state highway patrol visits you. They need details about the accident that they can put in their report.
They will give you a copy of this report, and you’ll probably feel glad that you have it. You will need to use this report if you decide to sue the other driver.
Accidents in At-Fault States
We’ll say you’re in an at-fault state. In such states, the insurance of the individual who caused the accident must pay for the economic damages.
Those might include your lost wages if you have to miss work for a while. They will also include your medical bills and the cost to repair your car.
In this instance, though, the other driver won’t admit that they caused the accident, even though it seems obvious to you that they did. You can use some of the details in the highway patrol accident report when you sue them. You will need to do so to get the money to cover your economic damages, and possibly some non-economic ones like your pain and suffering as well.
You Can Use the Report if You Must Sue an Insurance Company
Maybe you’re in this same situation. Once again, it’s an at-fault state. However, this time, while the other driver readily admits they caused the accident, their insurance company does not feel the same way.
You will more than likely have to file a lawsuit to recoup your economic and non-economic damages, but this time, you will need to sue the other driver’s insurance company instead. You will need to locate a skilled personal injury lawyer who’s knowledgeable about these kinds of cases.
They will certainly want you to produce that highway patrol accident report, since it will likely contain some details that will help you prove your case against the other driver’s insurance company.
The Information the Report Contains
While you and your lawyer get ready to take on the other driver or their insurance company, you will need to look at the information the highway patrol car accident report contains. It should have, at a minimum, your name and that of the other driver. It should also feature your insurance company information and that of the other driver.
It should mention your license plate number and the other driver’s. It will have your contact information and theirs. However, it should also feature some details about the accident.
It will probably mention what time of day the accident occurred. It might mention the weather, if that’s relevant. It will also probably mention the position of the vehicles and anything else the officers observed when they pulled up at the scene.
The details in that report will often come in handy if you have to appear in court to talk about what happened. For instance, maybe the other driver said they lost control of the vehicle because the sun was in their eyes, but the report states the day was overcast. That kind of detail can help you to win your lawsuit.
