Car Accident Lawyer Explains Filing a Police Report After an Accident

November 9, 2021
dhdlaw

Motor vehicle accidents in Pennsylvania come in all shapes and sizes, including car accidents, truck accidents, and motorcycle accidents. Immediately following a motor vehicle accident, you’ll feel angry, frustrated, and overwhelmed, and if you’ve suffered a head injury, you may not even be thinking clearly. Part of this aftermath raises the question: “What do I do now?”

One of the most critical tasks is filing the police report. Before you even have an accident, you should know how to file a police report, and an experienced Easton car accident lawyer at Drake, Hileman & Davis can help.

When Am I Required to File a Police Report in Pennsylvania?

Although police reports should always be filed, under Pennsylvania law, Pa.C.S.A. Vehicles § 3747, you have five days from the date of the accident to file a police report if, under Pa.C.S.A. Vehicles § 3746, there was:

(1) Injury to or death of any person;  or

(2) Damage to any vehicle involved to the extent that it cannot be driven under its own power in its customary manner without further damage or hazard to the vehicle, other traffic elements, or the roadway, and therefore requires towing.

Even if the law does not require a police report to be filed, you should call 911 and report the accident as soon as it is feasible, depending on your injuries. When the police respond to the scene of an accident in Pennsylvania, they will commonly prepare and file the police report themselves. When the police do not respond to the accident scene, every driver must file a report with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

How to File a Police Report in Pennsylvania

Whenever you are required or otherwise seek to fill out a police report yourself, you must use the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Driver’s Accident Report (PDF file) Form AA-600. This form requires various types of personal information as well as information about the vehicles involved and the accident itself. The report must be forwarded to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Maintenance and Operations, P.O. Box 2047, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2047 within five days of the accident. Don’t be overly concerned; the form is not nearly as intimidating as it seems, and an Easton car accident lawyer is there to help.

Let an Easton Car Accident Lawyer Help You File Your Report

Accidents are traumatic enough, and the legal steps you must take, including collecting information from the scene and being sure that a Driver’s Report (the official title of a police report, also known as an accident report) is properly filed can be overwhelming, to say the least. You can contact us directly from the scene if need be. An Easton car accident lawyer at Drake, Hileman & Davis is the ally you need. We’ll be on your side and your side only, and will help you through the onslaught of insurance and legal issues you’ll need to face. Contact us to schedule your free consultation.