Stephen Hasner | Car Accidents | June 6, 2021
If you are involved in a car accident in Savannah, you need to obtain a copy of your car accident report, including accidents involving pedestrians and bicyclists.
When you hire a personal injury lawyer to handle your accident claim, the lawyer obtains a copy of your crash report. However, you may want to get a copy of the report so that you can review it for mistakes and use the information to file your insurance claim.
Requesting a Copy of a Car Accident Report in Savannah
The Savannah Police Department investigates most car crashes in Savannah, Georgia.
Motor vehicle accident reports can be obtained through the Savannah Police Department by submitting a Statement of Need form to the Records Department. The Statement of Need certifies your role or interest in the car crash. You may also access the accident report online through BuyCrash by LexisNexis, where you can purchase, download, and print the crash report from the website.
The Chatham County Police Department or the State Police Department might also investigate car accidents in a few cases.
Accident reports may be obtained from the Records Office of the Chatham County Police Department by submitting a request. Crash reports for the Chatham County Police Department may also be obtained online through BuyCrash.
For crashes investigated by the Georgia State Police, you can contact the Opens Record Unit or the State Patrol Post. You may submit a Crash Report Request to the Georgia Department of Transportation or purchase the crash report online through BuyCrash.
Review the car accident report as soon as possible. If you notice errors, report the errors to the police officer who completed the report and request that they amend it.
The errors must be factual, such as the date of the accident or the location of the accident. A police officer is unlikely to change their opinion about how the accident occurred or who is responsible.
Why Do I Need a Copy of My Car Accident Report?
An accident report has a great deal of information that could assist you in filing a car accident claim. You need a copy of the report for your personal records.
The report may contain information regarding:
- The identify and contact information for each driver
- The date, time, and location of the accident
- The road and weather conditions at the time of the accident
- Insurance information for each driver
- Names of any witnesses, including contact information
- Statements made by the drivers and eyewitnesses
- A diagram of the accident scene drawn by the police officer
- The officer’s opinion as to the cause of the crash, including who was at fault for the crash and any traffic citations issued
If an eyewitness or the other driver tries to change their story, you may have evidence in the police report that can help refute what they are claiming now. The car accident report can help prevent the driver or eyewitnesses from changing their story at trial.
What Should You Do After a Car Accident in Savannah?
Call 911 to report the crash and request assistance.
Savannah has millions of visitors each year. There is a good chance that you could be involved in a car crash with an out-of-town driver. Therefore, you want a written record of the incident for insurance and legal purposes, regardless of how minor the damages.
Seek medical treatment for your injuries as soon as possible. Documenting your injuries is a crucial step in recovering fair compensation for your losses. You need to prove that the car accident caused your injuries.
Do not accept fault for the accident or admit fault. You have the right to have a lawyer present if you are questioned about how the accident occurred.
The insurance company might try to blame you for causing the crash or say that you contributed to the cause of the accident. Beware! The company is trying to blame you for partially causing the accident to avoid paying the full value of your claim. Call a lawyer right away.
You deserve fair compensation for your injuries and damages. You could recover compensation for your economic damages, such as lost wages and medical bills. You may also recover compensation for your pain and suffering damages.
The steps you take following a crash and in the days and weeks ahead could help or hurt your case. You can help your chance of recovering compensation by working with a lawyer to investigate, document, and evaluate your personal injury claim.
Contact the Savannah Car Accident Lawyers at Hasner Law PC For Help
For more information, please contact the Savannah car accident law firm of Hasner Law P.C. at our nearest location to schedule a free consultation today.
We serve in Fulton County, Chatham County, and its surrounding areas:
Hasner Law PC – Atlanta Law Office
2839 Paces Ferry Rd SE #1050
Atlanta, GA 30339
(678) 888-4878
Hasner Law PC – Savannah Law Office
221 W York St
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 234-2334
