How Do I File a Collision Report in Connecticut?

How Do I File a Collision Report in Connecticut?

It can be very frightening to be involved in a motor vehicle accident. In some cases, you are seriously injury and must be transported to the emergency room immediately. In other cases, you may be too disoriented to think clearly. In either case, the first thing you want to do is call 911 to request emergency services and to report the accident. A dispatcher will send a law enforcement officer assigned to the jurisdiction where your crash occurred.

Pursuant to the traffic laws in Connecticut, you are required to report any crashes that result in property damage exceeding $1,000 within five days of the collision. As experienced car accident attorneys, we advise that you report ALL car accidents immediately to protect your legal right to receive compensation from the driver who caused the collision.

If you did not call 911 at the accident scene for any reason, you should contact your local law enforcement agency to inquire about filing a collision report. A list of Connecticut cities and counties is available online. In some cases, your accident is within the jurisdiction of the State Police. You can access information about reporting accidents online or by contacting the Reports and Records Division of the Connecticut State Police at (860) 685-8250.

Why Should I Report a Motor Vehicle Accident?

Having an office record of a collision makes filing a claim with an insurance company easier. The insurance company for the other driver will require proof that a collision occurred. The easiest way to document a crash is an accident report. You want a state trooper or a police officer to respond to the scene and document what happened so that it is not simply your word against the other driver’s word. A law enforcement officer speaks with both drivers, views the accident scene, and talks to witnesses to make a determining of how the accident occurred.

The officer or trooper also decides whether each driver committed a traffic offense and if either driver contributed to the cause of the crash. While this information is not concrete proof that the other driver is at fault, it is a beginning point for our attorneys to conduct an independent investigation of the cause of your crash. In some cases, an insurance company may rely on an accident report to pay an injury claim, especially if it is clear that its driver caused the accident.

Should I Call 911 for a Hit and Run Accident?

YES! Always call 911 if you are involved in a hit and run accident. Leaving the scene of a traffic accident is a crime. Law enforcement agencies will investigate the matter and may identify the driver. If the driver is never identified, you may still be able to recover compensation under your uninsured insurance coverage. However, you need the crash report as evidence that a hit and run collision took place.

Don’t Allow Other Drivers to Talk You Out of Reporting Your Traffic Accident

Some drivers may beg you not to call 911 to report the accident. They may offer to exchange insurance information or pay directly for your repairs. Agreeing to settle the matter between the two of you is not a wise decision. The person could change his or her story to claim that you caused the crash or even deny that he or she was involved in the crash. If this happens, the burden of proving that a collision occurred and the other driver was responsible will fall upon you.

The insurance company for the other driver will not even consider your claim until you provide convincing evidence. It is always in your best interest to call 911 after a crash to report your traffic accident and request an officer be dispatched to the scene to take a report.


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