How to Obtain an Accident Report in Seattle, WA

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Washington state law imposes several legal duties on drivers involved in car accidents: You must stop at the accident scene and exchange information with the other driver. If anyone was killed, injured, or suffered more than $1,000 in damage, you have four days to file an accident report. The only exception to this rule happens when the police respond to a crash.

If the police respond, the investigating officers will write an accident report. A Seattle car accident lawyer from Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers may use the information in this report to build your case for compensation. Contact us at (206) 727 4000 for a free consultation.

How Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Car Accident in Seattle, WA

Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers was founded in 1994 to represent car crash victims in Seattle, Washington, against the drivers responsible for their injuries. Our firm has recovered millions of dollars in much-needed financial resources for our injured clients.

Our Seattle personal injury lawyers can assist you in the following ways:

• Evaluate your situation and explain our strategy for seeking injury compensation
• Build your case by assembling evidence for your insurance claim
• Work to persuade the other driver’s insurer to settle your case
• Fight for you in court if we cannot negotiate a settlement

Your car accident report could help us uncover evidence and identify witnesses to support your side of the story. Contact Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers and schedule a free consultation with a Seattle car accident attorney to discuss your injuries and your right to pursue an injury claim against the at-fault driver.

Understanding Crash Reports in Seattle

Washington has two types of crash reports. First, drivers are required to file crash reports for collisions that the police did not investigate. Thus, drivers will typically file these self-reports after property damage-only collisions. For example, you might file one after an elderly driver accidentally backs into your car in a parking lot.

The second type of crash report is prepared and filed by the police. The police usually respond to crashes involving injury or death, so most crashes that lead to a personal injury claim will have a police-generated crash report.

Ordering Your Accident Report in Seattle

Both report types are stored in a Washington State Patrol (WSP) database. Importantly, the WSP database includes reports produced by all state police agencies, including the Seattle Police Department, the King County Sheriff’s Office, and the police authorities in the suburbs surrounding Seattle.

Thus, you will order your crash report from the WSP regardless of which agency investigated your crash. The WPS maintains an online portal for ordering crash reports. You can also request your crash report by mail. The WSP does not accept phone or in-person requests for crash reports.

Obtaining an Unredacted Accident Report

You can get an unredacted copy of the report if you fall into one of the following categories:

• A driver involved in the crash
• A parent or legal guardian of a minor driver involved in the crash
• Any person injured in the crash, such as a passenger, pedestrian, or cyclist
• The owner of a vehicle or property damaged in the collision
• An attorney, insurer, or authorized representative of one of these parties

Others are allowed to request copies of the report, but personal data will be redacted.

Contents of a Crash Report in Washington

A crash report includes the following information:

• Names and addresses of drivers
• Liability insurance information for vehicles
• Injuries sustained by motorists and other road users
• Property damage caused by the crash
• Citations issued
• A diagram of the accident scene
• A narrative explanation of what occurred

If the officers interview a witness for the report, they typically include the witness’s full name and contact information.

Importantly, the crash report will not determine who was at fault for the crash. Analyzing negligence is not within the scope of a police officer’s duties.

How a Washington Injury Lawyer Uses Your Accident Report

Injury and accident reports are not admissible evidence. However, they are still useful. Insurance adjusters review the accident report to understand how the crash occurred since the report can provide context for the explanations provided by both drivers.

Additionally, the crash report includes the information your lawyer needs to file a claim. They’ll need the other driver’s name, insurance policy number, and license plate number, for example.

Finally, your lawyer can use the information in the report to question officers, drivers, and eyewitnesses about what they observed at the crash scene. Although the report is not admissible, it helps your lawyer determine what questions to ask witnesses.

Contact Our Seattle Car Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation

Your crash report could be critically important to your injury case. Contact Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers to learn how we use your accident report to gather evidence and to persuade claim adjusters to compensate you for the injuries caused by the other driver’s actions. Contact us today for a free consultation with a Seattle car accident attorneys.