How to Change a Traffic Accident Report with Incorrect or False Information

Most people agree that calling the police is the first thing you should do if you’re involved in a car accident. That way, you can obtain a police report with the details of your accident. This document is essential for an injury claim with the insurance company, or if necessary, a lawsuit against the responsible party. However, car accident scenes are often chaotic, with both sides trying to tell their story while emotions are running high. It’s the responding officer’s job to maintain a level head and get down the facts, including insurance information for both drivers and eyewitness statements. All this information will be included in a police accident report, which will help to establish who is responsible for your accident.

Unfortunately, confusion at the accident scene can lead to incorrect information in a police report. Some of these are genuine mistakes by the at-fault party or the responding officer. But errors can also happen if the other driver gives false information or alters the truth in order to avoid responsibility. Witnesses can give wrong information as well, even if they’re doing their best to tell the truth. So what can you do if there’s a mistake in your traffic accident report?

In this article, we will talk about your rights and legal options if you’ve received an incorrect police accident report. Are the following questions on your mind?

• How can I change a traffic accident report if it had false information?
• What do I do if there is no insurance information of the other driver?
• What can I do if the witness testimony is not in the report?
• Can a lawyer help me change a false accident report?

For answers to these questions, please keep reading. Please note, however, that this information is for general purposes only. If you have specific questions about your accident and your right to monetary compensation, contact our office and schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys.
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What Details are Included in a Police Report?

A police report contains many details pertaining to the facts of your car accident, as witnessed by the responding officer and all the involved individuals. These details paint a picture for insurance adjusters and attorneys in their determination of who is liable for the incident. Details may vary depending on the complexity of the accident, but police reports generally include:

• Names and contact information of the drivers
• Insurance information for the drivers
• Damages to the vehicles
• Injuries of the drivers and passengers
• Statements and contact information from witnesses
• Weather conditions at the time of the accident
• Road conditions
• Any legal violations
• Pictures or diagrams of the accident scene
• If applicable, the responding officer’s opinion of who caused the accident.

It’s easy to see why this information is so important to an accident claim. Thus, it’s essential that you check over the report to ensure that every last detail is correct. It’s best to do this at the scene of the accident, but that’s not possible in every case. Perhaps you or your passenger needed immediate treatment and you had to leave as soon as possible. Maybe you were traumatized by what just happened – very common with car accidents – and you had to get away from the scene for your mental well-being. So don’t beat yourself up if you forgot to look through the report while the officer was still there. You can still correct mistakes on a police report after it’s been filed, which we will cover in the upcoming sections.

How Long Does it Take to Get a Police Report?

Each city has its own timeline for how soon you can expect to receive a police report. For example, LAPD reports for car accidents usually take about 5 business days. If you don’t receive an email of your accident report within that time, you can check up on it by calling your local police station. If your report was filed by the California Highway Patrol, the wait time may be longer. On average, a CHP report takes about one to two weeks before it’s finalized, and up to several months if the accident resulted in a fatality.

Obtaining a traffic report should be easy, but many victims find themselves calling the police time and time again, only to be told “We’ll look into it.” We know how stressful this can be right after an accident. If you’re having trouble getting a copy of your police report, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We will be happy to assist you with this process, and anything else that’s needed for your insurance claim.

What Can I do if the Accident Report is Incorrect?

As soon as you get your accident report, make sure to check it thoroughly to ensure that everything is correct. In some cases, you can do this even before the report is finalized. The Los Angeles Police Department, for example, will give you a temporary number right after you make the report. So you can check up on what the officer wrote while it’s still being reviewed. This is very helpful, since you can take care of any errors or false information before the final accident report is issued. Here are some of the mistakes you should look for in the initial review:

• Incorrect spellings
• Wrong name and/or date of birth
• Wrong license plate number or make and model of your car
• Missing or incorrect insurance information
• Errors or false information in witness statements
• Errors in your testimony (for ex, you said you were going 30 mph but the officer wrote it as 50)

But what if you receive the final report, and the mistake or false information is still there? In that case, you must contact the police department or the applicable law enforcement agency right away. The sooner you get in touch with the responding officer, the better chance you’ll have to alter an accident report. Furthermore, you must get this done as quickly as possible to avoid any delays with your insurance claim. Of course, getting in touch with the responding officer is easier said than done. And once you get in touch with them, you’ll still have to convince them to alter the report. This can be a frustrating process for accident victims, as it’s your word against the police officer or the other driver. Typically, the officer will refuse to amend the report unless you have evidence to back up your claim.

Can a Lawyer Help me Amend a Police Report?

Yes, a lawyer experienced with car accident injury claims can help you alter an accident report with incorrect or false information. As stated above, the agency that filed your claim will not change your traffic accident report without evidence. This evidence includes, but is not limited to:

• Surveillance footage of the accident
• Statements from eye-witnesses that were not in the report.
• A timeline of the accident to support the needed change.

Once we submit this type of information, any factual inaccuracies on your report should be cleared up. It’s unfortunate how complicated the process can be, but it’s understandable that the police want proof before they make changes to an official report. While you can do this on your own, it may be difficult to obtain evidence and get the police to take you seriously without help from an experienced attorney.

Summary – Changing a Police Report

Police reports are essential to the success of personal injury claims. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that these reports are correct. Typically, factual errors are the easiest to correct, such as a mistake in name spelling or a mistake with the insurance policy number, for instance. You can have these mistakes corrected simply by showing the police the correct information. In general, you can fix an incorrect police report pretty easily given that the error is factual.

You might also be inclined to contest a police accident report after realizing that the details of the accident are incorrect. These might include details about the speed being traveled when the incident occurred, for example. These mistakes tend to occur because the responding officer will take notes at the time of the crash that he or she will use to complete the final reports days or even weeks later. The problem is that these notes can be incohesive as they are often made in a rush. In many cases, speaking to the officer about the incident is enough to refresh his or her memory. If the report hasn’t been finalized, then the officer can make the change before finalizing it. Otherwise, the report will need to be amended.

Some facts could be completely omitted from the report. Of course, if you sustained injuries in the accident and you informed the officer of these injuries, then there should be something in the report about any complaints that you made of pain or soreness. If you are filing an injury claim, this is essential. To add any omitted information, you can reach out to the officer just like mentioned above. They can add details regarding injuries before finalizing the report or amend it, like mentioned above.

What if you do not agree with the conclusion of the report or with a witness testimony? You cannot ask to correct or change something that you simply do not agree with. You might want to dispute a police accident report. An option in this situation is to reach out to the officer and ask that they include your version of the events in the report.

For more information about how to correct a police report, do not hesitate to contact the experts at our law firm immediately.

Can I File a Complaint against the Responding Officer?

Yes, you can file a complaint against the officer who wrote up your accident report. But you should speak to a lawyer first and make sure that a complaint is in your best interest. For one thing, if your lawyer can help you amend the report and there are no further issues, it may be better to move on and focus on recovering your damages. But if you keep getting the run around or your requests are blatantly ignored, then filing a complaint with the sergeant or another supervising officer may be necessary. Your attorney can file the complaint for you and include the necessary evidence to support your claims.

For more information on filing a complaint against a California law enforcement agency, contact our office right away. Inaccurate information about your accident can hurt your chances of financial recovery, but most people are unsuccessful in changing a police report on their own. To protect your rights and recover the damages you deserve, contact the car accident lawyers of Normandie Law Firm.

Why is my Lawyer not Helping me to get my Police Report Changed?

It’s a shame when the person who’s supposed to be on your side refuses to help you when there are mistakes in your police report. We can’t speak for every lawyer, but some of them lack the experience or confidence to go after a law enforcement agency. Plus, there’s a lot of work before you can ask the department or agency to alter a police report. It’s possible that your lawyer doesn’t want to do the work, especially if they’re overloaded with cases or want to focus on cases with the highest values. Here at Normandie, we don’t take on a case unless we’re prepared to see it through from start to finish. Nor do we prioritize clients based on the approximate value of their injuries.

If your lawyer is refusing to help you with an incorrect police report, you must consider your available legal options, including the right to change lawyers at any point in your case. However, switching to another lawyer should not be done without weighing the pros and cons. To help you make this difficult, but crucial decision in the outcome of your case, please schedule a free second opinion with one of our attorneys. During your consultation, we can review the details of your accident and advise you of the actions we can take on your behalf. We can also talk about the consequences of leaving your law firm to make sure you are comfortable with your decision. If working with us in your best interest, we’ll take care of all the work that’s needed to transfer your case to our law firm.

While you can change counsel at any time, it’s easiest to make the switch early in your case. So please don’t delay in giving us a call and scheduling a free second opinion.

The Car Accident Lawyers of Normandie Law Firm

Recovering from a car accident takes time and patience. But it also takes money, which is why an insurance claim must be filed for your physical injuries and property damage. When that process is stalled by an inaccurate accident report, you must take immediate action to make the needed corrections. However, altering a police report isn’t as simple as a friendly phone call to the responding officer. If anything, you are likely to encounter resistance as law enforcement agents are reluctant to admit fault or take on any extra work. That’s when you need the lawyers of Normandie, with our many years of experience in all types of motor vehicle accidents. Our lawyers will fight for the most accurate details regarding your auto accident and ensure that you are fairly compensated for your damages.

There’s no need to worry about legal fees when you work with us. As a promise under our Zero fee guarantee, there are no upfront costs for our services. The only way we get paid is if we win your case, so if we lose, you will not be responsible for any legal fees. So please take a chance on us and schedule a free consultation right away. Our auto injury lawyers can assist you with accident reports involving all California law enforcement agencies, including:

• Los Angeles Police Department
• San Francisco Police Department
• San Diego Police Department
• San Jose Police Department
• Long Beach Police Department
• Fresno Police Department
• Oakland Police Department
• Sacramento Police Department
• Stockton Police Department
• Bakersfield Police Department
• Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
• San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
• Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
• San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
• Orange County Sheriff’s Department/Coroner
• Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department
• Alameda County Sheriff’s Department/Coroner
• San Francisco County Sheriff’s Department
• Kern County Sheriff’s Department
• Ventura County Sheriff’s Department
• California Highway Patrol
• California Department of Justice
• California Bureau of Investigations
• California Bureau of Forensics