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Police reports after a Maryland truck accident can help you settle your case. Generally, police reports are inadmissible at trial. However, Maryland truck accident attorneys and the defendant’s insurance companies will still use the police report for settlement purposes. Police reports offer tremendous starting points that can lead to a thorough investigation by an experienced attorney. This document provides crucial details about the accident, including statements from drivers and witnesses, officer observations, and sometimes even a preliminary determination of fault. Of course, this determination is sometimes incorrect. In fact, we have represented countless clients who were initially blamed in the police report, but we believed in, and ultimately won their case. This is something we are proud to do. If you are hurt in a Maryland truck accident, even if the police report blames you, you may still prevail in court.
However, it will be much harder to settle the case, as insurance companies tend to rely on police reports, which are generally inadmissible at trial. They are inadmissible because they are out of court statements. If they are offered for the truth of the matter asserted, they are considered hearsay and are inadmissible. Moreover, a police report can be valuable because it signifies that a police officer saw the damage to the vehicles and can testify how parties behaved after the crash while still at the accident scene. While they cannot testify how the accident happened unless they saw it, this is still valuable. This is especially true if you make an uninsured motorist claim after your truck accident.
To be clear, a police report is not necessarily admissible. However, its content may be used if testified to again at trial. A police report is one of the most important documents after a truck accident, even though it is not necessarily admissible in court. For example, we cannot use the police report to establish the date, time, and location of the crash. However, we may call the police officer who wrote the report to the witness stand to testify about the accident’s date, time, and place. Additionally, there may be witness statements in the police report. Again, the witness statements are not necessarily admissible unless the statement falls under a hearsay exception. However, seeing the statement in the truck accident report tells us whether we want to call that witness to the stand and begin an examination.
Police reports after a Maryland truck accident can also include information on road conditions, general officer observations, citations issued to either driver, and preliminary determinations of fault. All of this can be useful.
As Maryland truck accident attorneys, we also consider whether the officer issued a citation. If the truck driver was ticketed for reckless driving, running a red light, or another violation, this has important implications for your case. Beyond facts of the case, a police report in a Maryland truck accident matters if your injuries are severe. In catastrophic cases where an 18-wheeler crushes your vehicle, you may be in too much pain to exchange information. You may be unconscious when you are carried away from the accident scene. When this happens, an accident report is vital to collect information on the other driver and relevant insurance information. Without the police report, you may never discover information on the other driver.
First, you must identify the proper agency. In many instances, the police department is based on the county. For example, if your truck accident occurs in Prince George’s County, we will reach out to the Prince George’s County Police Department. Or, the Maryland State Police may be the agency that responds to your call. It can get slightly trickier when they arrive at the scene, but tell you they do not have jurisdiction because the accident occurred on federal land. Once we identify the proper department, we must wait for processing. The officer does not draw up the report instantly. Most reports are available within a few days, but it can take up to 10 business days depending on the agency.
As soon as you contact our office and we move forward with your case, we will reach out to the police department the same day for a police report after a Maryland truck accident. Once processing is done, we will request the report by mail. Mail in Maryland typically takes about a week to be delivered. In cases where time is of the essence, we can pay an additional premium to obtain the report online. There is a small fee for obtaining a police report. We advance this cost on your behalf, as you do not pay us anything until we win your case. When you request a police report as the plaintiff at the police station, you must show your driver’s license.
If we are to obtain the police report for you, as we do in nearly all our cases, we use a signed police authorization form to gain access to the report despite not being a direct party to the accident.
If the police report after a Maryland truck accident negatively implicates you in any way, you still have a chance to prove your case at trial. Remember, the police officer who writes the report is not the judge. So, even if they assign blame, that holds essentially zero legal weight, although it may have an effect for negotiation purposes during a settlement attempt. Thus, there is not necessarily a point in arguing with the police officer. Instead, speak with a Maryland truck accident attorney. Our team will set the record straight where it matters, in court. Although, you should be sure to point out any discrepancies to our team during your consultation. We have to prove our argument by a preponderance of the evidence. This means we must collect evidence to support your claim.
Regardless, there is no need to challenge errors in a Maryland truck accident police report. Instead, we will make the necessary challenges in a Maryland court as necessary to win your case.
We have successfully resolved hundreds of truck accident cases in Maryland without a police report. There is no instance where a police report is necessary to win your case. However, for those cases where you mistakenly do not exchange information with the other party, a police report may become necessary as a last effort to obtain valuable information. To be clear, there are other ways to track down an adverse driver. If you get the license plate information of the adverse driver, this is probably enough for us to determine at least who the vehicle is registered to. If the vehicle is not stolen, then insurance should apply unless a nonpermissive user was operating the vehicle at the time of impact.
Police reports after a Maryland truck accident can offer valuable information on the adverse driver, truck owner, and more. Call our office today for a free case consultation at (202) 331-7227.
Copyright © 2025 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.