After an accident in Cornelius, NC, you can request a copy of the report through the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV). Due to North Carolina’s strict contributory negligence laws, insurers will attempt to shift blame onto you, and if they can prove you were even 1% at fault, they can refuse to pay you.
Hiring a Cornelius car accident lawyer allows you to access an unredacted police accident report under the requirements of the Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA).
An attorney can use the information in the report, such as the officer’s observations, to shield your claim from insurer tactics to assign you partial fault and deny compensation.
Who Can Obtain a Police Accident Report?
Individuals who were directly involved in the collision can access a redacted version of the accident report. Anyone listed in the report, such as drivers, passengers, or pedestrians, can request a copy, and parents or guardians can obtain the report for minor children involved in the accident.
Personal information and private details, such as addresses, are only provided in unredacted accident reports, though. Only certain groups, such as Cornelius personal injury lawyers, can request it under the Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. § 2721-2725).
This includes:
- Lawyers representing individuals involved in the accident
- Insurance adjusters handling claims for those involved
- Professionals like investigators who meet the legal requirements for review
Hiring a Cornelius personal injury lawyer also makes it easier to obtain other evidence, such as surveillance video footage from nearby businesses or traffic camera footage, which is necessary to protect you against blame-shifting tactics.
Why Hire a Lawyer to Obtain a Police Accident Report and Handle Your Claim
Obtaining a police accident report in Cornelius, NC, is only one step in building your personal injury claim. The legal system in North Carolina is complicated by contributory negligence laws, making experienced representation important.
Trying to handle the claims process without legal representation puts you at risk of insurance companies misrepresenting your statements, which could allow them to shift partial blame onto you and deny you any compensation at all.
Working with a lawyer means you don’t have to communicate or negotiate with insurance companies or the liable parties on your own. For example, a truck accident lawyer in Cornelius can make sure your police report is accurate, gather additional evidence to support your case, and negotiate with insurers to protect your claim.
How a Lawyer Uses a Report
Lawyers rely on police accident reports to challenge insurance companies’ findings about fault. They match the report’s findings to external evidence, such as skid marks or property damage, to reinforce your account of the crash.
By using citations or notes about reckless behavior in the report, like speeding or running a red light, they highlight how the other party’s actions caused the collision. If an insurer tries to twist the facts, your lawyer uses the documented evidence to counter these claims so your claim is not compromised.
What Happens if the Report Contains Errors?
Clerical errors in a police accident report put an injured party’s insurance claim or lawsuit at risk. Errors might include incorrect vehicle positions, misidentified drivers, or omissions of critical information. If you notice errors in your report, it’s important to address them immediately.
An attorney can contact the responding officer for clarification or request an amendment to the report if necessary. Ensuring the report reflects the facts of the accident is especially important in North Carolina, where small discrepancies could affect your ability to recover damages.
Requesting a Police Accident Report by Mail
To obtain a redacted crash report by mail, you can fill out the Crash Report Request Form (TR-67A). Include all details relevant to the crash, such as the timing and location, as well as the names of those involved.
Once the form is completed, attach a $6.50 payment in the form of a check or money order made payable to “NCDMV” and mail it to the address provided on the TR-67A form.
Processing the request can take up to 10 business days from the date the request is received. Keep in mind that mailing times can also add to this window.
Requesting a Police Accident Report in Person
For faster processing, you can visit an NCDMV office or a license plate agency in person.
People living in Cornelius often use the following offices for this purpose:
- Huntersville License Plate Agency 12101 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road Huntersville, NC 28078
- Raleigh Central Services/License Plate Agency 4121 New Bern Ave. Raleigh, NC 27616
Bring your completed TR-67A form along with a $6.50 check or money order. Upon verifying your eligibility, the staff will help you process your request and provide a copy of the report.
Work With Auger & Auger After a Cornelius Car Accident
At Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers, our team has been helping injured clients in North Carolina for over 30 years. We’ve recovered more than $100 million for accident victims and have earned a 99.5% success rate in the cases we handle.
We know how to obtain police accident reports in Cornelius, NC, and use them to push back against an insurance company that tries to shift the blame for the collision onto you. With our A&A Zero Fee Guarantee™, you won’t pay anything upfront, and no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Call us now for a free initial consultation.
