Full Report Analysis
Raleigh Accident and Injury Attorney
The following sections of the Police Report should be carefully read and interpreted by using the Police Report and the DMV-349 Code Sheet:
1. Driver / Passenger Identity - Confirm that your personal information is correct. Driver information is located at the top of the front page of your report. Guest passenger information, including address, identity of which vehicle they occupied, and position in the vehicle can be found on the bottom of page one of your Police Report in boxes 21-32.
2. Injury Information - The officer's opinion of extent of injury is recorded immediately after an accident, and is rarely complete or accurate. Box 32 located at the bottom of page one reflects the officer's opinion of extent of injury.
3. Road & Weather Conditions - Congested traffic, sudden storms, visual obstructions, and other similar factors are often relied on by insurance adjusters in their effort to defend claims, and minimize payment to accident victims. Thus, the boxes along the left and right margins of page one (boxes numbered 1 - 9) and the boxes in the top right corner of page two (boxes numbered 69-81) relating to these factors should be carefully reviewed. If you disagree with officer information/findings, notify your attorney so that claim defenses can be overcome early, while relevant corrective evidence remains available.
4. Vehicle Speed, Speed at Impact, Skid-marks, & Propulsion Distance - Speed is a key factor in every accident case. At the top center of page two of the Police Report, you will find a grid recording the posted speed limit, the original traveling speed (look out for accusation of speeding here - although the opinion itself is not admissible against you, outside evidence of speeding can result in a complete bar to all claims, even though speeding was only a slight factor in the overall picture), speed at impact, length of recorded skid-marks, and distance traveled after impact. We use accident reconstruction tools, physics, and mathematical formulas to mold these findings into a true understanding of how the collision took place.
5. Officer Diagram - The diagram is located at the very center of page two of your Police Report. This diagram is helpful in understanding roadway configuration, and how the various vehicles came together.
6. Officer Narrative - The narrative is located just below the diagram, and should be read and considered in connection with the diagram. Lengthy narratives will continue onto an appended page to the Police Report. A proper narrative will reference driver and witness statements and corroborating evidence that supports conclusions contained in the narrative. Further, inconsistent driver/witness statements are also noted here.
7. Witness Information - In those cases where private, uninvolved witnesses come forward to offer their version of the facts, the investigating officer identifies the witness by name, address and phone number just below the narrative, at the bottom of page two of the Police Report. It is typically best to allow your attorney to contact independent witnesses. Accident victims and their families who seek to correct investigative findings often call witnesses without proper experience or preparation, and the resulting dialogue can later be used against the victim. A proper witness contact is objective, and should be used to support preparation of an Affidavit which nails down witness testimony in admissible format.
8. Citations Issued - The list of all tickets issued at the scene is found at the very bottom of page two of the Police Report, just above the officer's name, badge number and department rank.
Considering the Police Report in the order shown above should provide you with a full understanding of the officer's findings. If we can offer any assistance reviewing your particular report, or if any questions arise which are not answered below, contact us at (866) 526-5127 and an attorney will review your Police Report with you immediately.
