YES! You should, but it is not always required.
With nearly a century of combined legal experience, the personal injury attorneys at Obral Silk & Pal are well-versed in handling car accident claims. When it comes to automobile collisions, our goal is to obtain the compensation to which our clients are entitled while helping alleviate the stress associated with their injuries and accompanying claim. Without legal representation, insurance companies are notorious for exacerbating this stress as it is to their benefit to deny insurance claims. As such, it’s imperative to provide them with concrete evidence surrounding an accident that would make denying your claim difficult. A police report is one such piece of evidence.
When it comes to insurance companies, it is to their benefit to deny your car accident claim or settle for an inadequate dollar amount. Their goal, after all, is to increase their revenue. The benefit of providing a police report to an insurance company, however, is that it provides them with an official documentation of the events surrounding a car accident. These reports contain detailed information such as: date, time, and location of the car accident, individuals involved in the accident as well as their contact and driver’s license information, names and contact information of witnesses, details regarding the vehicles involved as well as any damage incurred, and any external factors that may have contributed to the accident. Having a police report, thus, will help a claims officer expedite your insurance claim.
In the State of Ohio, however, a car accident can be reported to an insurance company without a police report. In the event the accident in which you’re involved was minor, insurance companies most likely will not require a police report. (A police report is required if parties sustained injuries and/or major damage occurred, though).
In the event you do not have a police report to submit to the insurance company, you will be responsible for gathering and submitting evidence yourself in order for the claim to proceed. Because car accidents can be both traumatizing and debilitating, many victims find themselves overwhelmed and unable to collect sufficient information. Thus, they are subjected to an agonizingly drawn-out claims process.
Working with an experienced Cleveland personal injury attorney, however, can help alleviate the stress of taking on the insurance company alone. An attorney can assist in the gathering of evidence, submitting a claim to insurance, and explaining your legal rights. Another benefit to working with an attorney is that he or she may inform you of accident-related damages you may be able to recover such as: lost income, vehicle repair/replacement, pain and suffering, medical expenses, etc.
If you’re involved in a car crash, a police report serves as an invaluable piece of evidence when it comes to expediting a car accident claim. With or without a police report, however, working with an attorney can help you collect evidence necessary to build a strong case to submit to the insurance company and maximize the compensation to which you’re entitled.
If you or someone you know was a victim of an Ohio car accident, Obral Silk & Pal Personal Injury Attorneys can help you navigate the legal process and stand up to the insurance companies.
Contact us today for your FREE consultation.
Injuries change lives…so do we.
