Most cities and counties in Georgia require you to call the police after an accident if there is injury or property damage in excess of $500. The responding officer will make and file a report with all the details about the accident. However, they don’t hand you the report at the scene. If you want to see it, you may wonder how to go about getting your accident report in Georgia.
How Do I Get a Copy of My Accident Report from the Blakely Police Department?
Getting a copy of your accident report from any Blakely area police department has been simplified by Georgia’s Department of Transportation. All municipalities, including city and county and state police departments, submit all accident reports to a website called BuyCrash.com. This makes it much easier for you to locate the report.
That means even if you were not paying attention or too injured to notice which entity responded to your accident, you could easily get your accident report from any of the state, county, or Blakely police departments without needing to call around to the city, county, and state agencies. If you do know who responded, you can also go to the entity who handled your accident, but you must know exactly which precinct or division arrived on the scene and go to that office.
Most people find BuyCrash.com an easier option. Simply be prepared to enter a means of payment. Although you only need to have your name and the date of the accident, it helps if you have the report number which the responding officer should have provided.
Should I Request My Accident Report?
You have every right to request your accident report. However, there is a small charge to do so. That shouldn’t deter you from requesting it if you want it. There is no reason not to request it, but other than reviewing it for personal information, there isn’t much you can do with it. Your insurance company and Blakely personal injury attorney, assuming you are working with one, will have already requested it as part of their investigation.
What Will I Find in the Accident Report?
There is always a lot of information on the report, including:
- Your information, including the name of the insurance company
- The other driver’s information, including their insurance company
- Date, time, and location of the accident
- Road and weather conditions
- Any witness information
- Observable accident details, including visible damage
- If tickets were issued and the reason
Once you receive it and keep in mind that it may be a few days before it’s available, some of the above information may not be clear. Officers use codes to notate much of the information. These codes are readily deciphered by downloading the PDF from the Georgia Department of Transportation by clicking here. Requesting it will have no bearing on whether your insurance covers your claim, nor will having it negatively impact your personal injury claim if you decide to work with an accident attorney.
Who Else Can Request the Accident Report?
Anyone with the details about the accident can technically request a report. However, both a local municipality and the BuyCrash.com website will ask about your relationship to the accident. The most common other entities who request the report are your insurance company and your personal injury attorney.
What If I Can’t Find My Accident Report?
As we said, it may take a few days to see the report as available on the BuyCrash.com website or at your local precinct. However, if, after a few days, it’s still not showing up, chances are good that the responding officer made a mistake. This can be an issue, especially for the insurance companies involved who will request the report. If you know who responded to the accident, call the officer. See if they can help straighten out the matter. Sometimes it’s something simple such as a misspelled name, or the officer is backed up and has yet to file the completed report. However, if you don’t and you are having any issues with your insurance company or the at-fault driver’s insurance company, it may be time to call a Blakely car accident lawyer to help with your case.
How a Car Accident Attorney Can Help You
Some car accidents are straightforward without any issues or major injuries. In those cases, both insurance companies will likely deal with proper compensation for the damage. However, when there are injuries or even death, you need a car accident attorney. Attorneys do more than just deal with your insurance company on your behalf. They bring many benefits in the weeks and months after an accident. Some of the benefits of calling an experienced car accident lawyer include:
- Less stress while you are trying to recover.
- Their knowledge of the law and what compensation you may be entitled to receive.
- Providing professional advice as to when to accept or reject an offer, which will lead to a better settlement.
- Standing up to the big insurance companies on your behalf without fear.
- They can collect evidence that you may not know to collect.
- Experience in determining who was at fault in an accident.
When necessary, your car accident attorney can take the case to court. During their investigation and evidence gathering, they prepare for that possibility.
Call The McLendon Law Firm If You Need a Car Accident Lawyer
We are personal injury and wrongful death attorneys based in the Blakely area. If you need an experienced car accident lawyer to help with your case, call us for a free consultation. You’ll find that as a smaller firm, we give your case the personal attention it deserves. And, just because we’re small doesn’t mean we’re not an experienced or an excellent personal injury attorney. We’ve been selected to Georgia’s Rising Stars for three straight years by Super Lawyers® and are highly rated on Avvo.com.
Call us today for your free consultation. We’ll let you know how we can help you. If you choose us to represent you as your car accident attorney, you pay us nothing unless we win. Call (229) 475-1969 today or fill out our contact form.
