How To Read Your Indiana Car Accident Report
Our lawyers can review your Indiana Officer’s Standard Crash Report
If you have been injured in a car accident caused by another driver in Indiana, the police officer investigating your crash most likely filled out an accident report. This four-page document is officially called the Indiana Officer’s Standard Crash Report.
Insurance companies often carefully review such reports when determining who was at fault and how much money accident victims should receive. That’s why it’s critical that you carefully review your report to make sure everything accurately reflects what happened.
Our experienced Indiana lawyers at Glaser & Ebbs can help you every step of the way. We know what each line means in these reports and can carefully review your report with you as part of our in-depth accident investigation process.
Contact us and schedule a free consultation with a lawyer at our firm to learn more about your legal options. We have offices in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and other locations conveniently located throughout Indiana.
How to read your Indiana accident report
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/in_crashform_02_2003.pdf
Page One
The top of this page includes information about exactly when and where your accident happened in Indiana. The number of vehicles involved as well as the number of injuries and fatalities in the accident can be found here, as well. Verify all this information. Insurance companies often point out any discrepancies when denying accident claims.
The middle of this page contains information about the primary cause of your accident. Some of the options the investigating police officer can check include “unsafe speed,” “driver asleep or fatigued,” “improper passing” and “alcoholic beverages.” The same part of the page on the right side contains information about whether your accident was a hit-and-run, weather conditions and whether your crash took place on a rural or city road.
The bottom of the page contains the contact information for witnesses who saw your crash, as well as information about any pedestrians or other non-motorists injured in your accident.
Page Two
The top of this page contains a brief section for the investigating officer to indicate what type of crash you were involved in. The choices include “rear-end,” “head-on” and several other options. Just below this section, there’s a large space where the investigating police officer can draw a diagram of your accident. Make sure the vehicles’ location, direction of travel and point of impact are correct.
The bottom of this page is one of the most important sections in your accident report. Here, the investigating officer writes a narrative describing your crash. The officer’s narrative is often based on statements made by yourself and anyone else involved in the crash. If you disagree with the officer’s description of your crash, our legal team can work with you to set the record straight.
Page Three
This page contains information about each driver involved in the accident. If there were more than two vehicles involved, there will be more than two sections filled out for your multiple vehicle accident.
Along with personal information about each driver, the investigating officer will note whether the drivers were wearing their seatbelt, appeared under the influence of alcohol or if they were asleep at the wheel at the time of the crash. The officer will also note if they administered a blood alcohol test and the results of such tests. There’s also space for a description of the severity of the injuries sustained by each driver and the body location of their injuries (head, neck, back, etc.). Our legal team can help carefully review all this information for accuracy.
Page Four
This page is reserved for information about any non-motorists involved in your accident, including passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. As with the information on page three about all drivers involved in the crash, the investigating police officer will note what type of injury each non-motorist sustained, whether they were wearing a seatbelt and whether they appeared intoxicated at the time of the accident investigation.
Click here to download a printable version of How To Read Your Indiana Car Accident Report.