Memory is notoriously unreliable. Criminology professors know this when they ask their spouse to visit class unexpectedly, have a brief conversation with the professor in the front of the classroom, and then leave; the students’ descriptions of the apparently unexpected visitor are often wildly inaccurate, or at least mutually contradictory to the point that someone who did not witness the event would not know what to think about it based solely on the witnesses’ descriptions.
Insurance claims adjusters know it, too. This is why they take recorded statements where they lead you down the garden path about subjects related and unrelated to your car accident claim, to fool you into contradicting yourself or saying things that they can use as an excuse to pay less on your claim. How, then, do you submit hard evidence that will get you a fair insurance settlement? You can submit pictures you took at the scene of the accident, but even these, by themselves, are open to interpretation.
They say that a picture is worth 1,000 words, but which 1,000 words they are depends on who is looking at the picture. At least you have a police report. Unfortunately, a police report will only help you if the officer who wrote the report described the accident fairly and accurately. If you have questions about the police report associated with the car accident that caused your injuries, contact a Santa Fe motor vehicle accidents and car accidents lawyer.
Dispute an Inaccurate Police Report Before Filing an Insurance Claim
In a perfect world, every police report about a car accident would be sufficiently detailed to help you get enough money to recover your accident-related financial losses through an insurance claim. Unfortunately, some police reports contain ambiguous statements that make it easier for the insurance companies to weasel their way into paying you less. Even worse, sometimes some of the information in the police report is plainly incorrect. It could be that the officer who wrote the report just was not paying enough attention, or it could be that the officer was biased against you.
Whatever the reason, you should get a corrected version of the police report before you submit it to the insurance company to support your claim. If something does not seem right about the police report, go to a personal injury lawyer and have the lawyer read over the report with you carefully, pointing out anything in it that the insurance company could use against you. Then, contact the police department and ask them to issue a corrected version of the report. Submit evidence to support the corrections that you want them to make.
Contact Slate Stern About Car Accidents Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in car accidents in New Mexico, where the initial police report did not do justice to what happened in the accident. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
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