Getting a police report is an important part of the evidence collection stage of your car accident case. A police report is not always good evidence in court, but it is an excellent source of information that you might not have been able to obtain at the scene of the crash. Lawyers and insurance companies will often request a copy of the police report in your case.
To get a police report in Lexington, SC, you have to call the police department that handled your case. Note that the Lexington Police Department has police reports available in person, but the Lexington Sheriff’s Department does have an online form that allows you to request a police report. You need to make sure you go to the police department that handled your case, and if you have any issues, your attorney can probably help.
For a free review of your car accident case, call the Lexington car accident attorneys at Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers by dialing (803) 451-4000.
Getting a Police Report from the Lexington, SC Police Department
If the police who responded to your crash were from the Lexington Police Department, then you can request a police report at the police department itself. The police department’s website provides instructions to go to the headquarters at 111 Maiden Lane, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to request a report.
However, there is also a phone number you can call if you cannot make it to the police station or if you live out of town. Many people are disabled by accidents and need substantial time to recover, or they have already returned home after getting into a crash while visiting the area, so having a phone number to call makes sense.
There does not appear to be any online option to request a police report from the Lexington police. However, our South Carolina car accident lawyers can help you get a copy of your report and review it with you as part of a case review if you are having trouble getting a copy yourself.
Getting a Police Report from the Lexington, SC Sheriff’s Department
The Lexington Sheriff’s Department also provides instructions on its website for getting an incident report from them. If they handled your accident, then you would get a report from them at their office at 521 Gibson Road instead of from the police department. They also provide a phone number to call if you need help.
However, the Sheriff’s Department does provide an online option for requesting a report. These reports are sent out as PDFs that you can view on your computer and print as needed. To get this report, you need to provide information about yourself to prove that you were the victim of the crime in this case. You will also need the 8- or 10-digit case number, which the officer or deputy at the scene should have provided for you.
Can You Get Car Accident Reports Online in Lexington, SC?
Some local agencies partner with online services to provide car accident reports. The information on these local agency websites does not seem to indicate any affiliation with any online report services in any official capacity.
Many online databases that purport to host police reports and crash reports do not, in fact, host the official reports. Generally, South Carolina law only allows the people involved in a crash (or their agents – like their lawyers and insurance companies) to obtain a copy of a report. This means that third-party websites would not be able to get a full copy of the report anyway. Some of these sites host only public records information, which might include redacted or limited information.
Can You Get Crash Reports from the South Carolina DMV?
The South Carolina DMV website hosts collision reports as well. Most local agencies are required to ultimately report accidents to the state, and the DMV assembles these reports for statistical purposes. You can retrieve a report from the DMV both in person and online.
In-person, you have to complete SCDMV Form FR-50, found on the webpage linked above. This form requires information about who you are and where and when the accident happened. You can bring this form to any DMV and submit the request, along with payment.
That form can alternatively be mailed in with payment. Both services cost $6 for two copies of the report.
You can also request the report online through the DMV’s website. Again, information about who you are and where and when the crash occurred will be required to retrieve the report, as well as payment.
Why Do I Need a Police Report for My Car Accident in Lexington, SC?
Both your lawyer and any insurance companies involved in the case will likely request a copy of the police report because it is good evidence that the accident occurred. The report also details where and when the crash occurred, who was involved, what vehicles were involved, and what injuries resulted. In most cases, you can collect this information at the accident scene as well, but if you were seriously injured and had to go straight to the hospital, this will be your primary source of all of this information.
In court, some of the evidence from the report might not be admissible anyway, especially if it contains hearsay. Out-of-court statements are often hearsay, such as the statements the parties and witnesses gave to the police officer at the scene of the crash. In many cases, we can still use these statements and the other information as a starting point for our research. All in all, the report provides the information we need about who to talk to about the crash, what witnesses to subpoena, what injuries to get records of, and, perhaps most importantly, who to file the lawsuit against.
Call Our Lexington, SC Car Accident Attorneys Today
If you were injured in a car accident, call the Lexington, SC personal injury attorneys at Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers today at (803) 451-4000.
