How To Obtain an Accident Report in Los Angeles, CA

How To Obtain a Crash Report in Los Angeles

While you must file a written report after any crash that causes an injury, it’s important to get a police report as well. Technically, California law requires you to contact the police only after a fatal crash. When a crash only causes injuries or property damage, you do not need to call the police. But you should do so in almost every injury accident to get a report.

With that being said, accident reports are not admissible evidence in court. They constitute hearsay under California’s rules of evidence, but a crash report contains valuable information that your lawyer can use in your injury or wrongful death claim.

First, an insurance company can use an accident report to help determine whether its policyholder caused the crash. Second, your injury lawyer can use an accident report to identify admissible evidence for your case. This may include the names of witnesses, copies of photographs of the accident scene, and a list of the citations issued to the at-fault driver.

Under California’s privacy laws, you must fall into one of the following categories to get a report:

• Drivers involved in the crash
• Injured accident victims named in the report
• Parents, guardians, or conservators for drivers and accident victims
• Owners of property damaged in the crash
• Insurers and attorneys for any party to the crash

The procedure for obtaining an accident report in Los Angeles, CA, depends on the investigating agency.