How Do You Get A Truck Accident Report In Indiana? | Know the Details
Truck accidents often cause severe injuries and damages. As a victim, you have a right to file a claim or sue the liable party for compensation. You could recover the economic and non-economic damages that result from the collision, such as medical bills and lost wages.
Claiming compensation requires using evidence such as the accident report to establish negligence. Truck accident reports are generally available in Indiana through the state police. If you are a truck accident victim, you should consider contacting a truck accident lawyer for help protecting your claim and fighting for financial recovery.
Requesting a Truck Accident Report
All accident reports in Indiana—including truck accident reports—are filed and held by Indiana State Police. Indiana State Police uses BuyCrash to make all accident reports available to the public. Other jurisdictions, like St. Joseph County (South Bend), provide the report through the Sheriff’s Department Records Division for a small fee.
Alternatively, you can complete a BuyCrash form and have the document sent to you through the mail. As of June 2021, the report costs $12. BuyCrash has a search engine on their homepage, where you can locate your accident report. To access the report, you will set up a username and password and create an account.
You will get prompts to access the report through a shopping cart page, pay for it, and checkout. Note that the site only accepts payments via American Express, Visa, and Mastercard. As soon as you enter your credit card information, you will have access to the report and download, print, or save it as a PDF document. Once you buy the report, it will only be available on the site for 30 days.
Filing a Truck Accident Report in Indiana
After a truck accident, call 911. In Indiana, you have to call the local police, county sheriff’s deputy, or state police to the accident scene. If you cannot get in touch with any of these law enforcement officials, you can complete an SR21 form and file a report with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) within ten days.
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Why is a Truck Accident Report Important?
An accident report is the official record of the crash. Without this report, you may not be able to claim compensation from the liable party. When law enforcement officials arrive at the accident scene, they collect a lot of information in this report that is vital to your claim. This information includes:
- The location, date, and time of the crash
- Driver’s names, insurance information, and address
- Truck owner’s names or trucking company information
- Road and weather conditions at the time of the crash
- A description of the vehicles involved and the damages to the vehicles
- Witness and drivers’ statements
- Witnesses’ names and addresses
- Victim’s names, addresses, and a description of their injuries
- Details about the accident, including how vehicles approached, collided, and stopped
- A diagram of the accident scene
- A determination as to the cause, if an arrest was made or a traffic ticket was issued
Accident reports provide basic facts that truck accident lawyers use to investigate the case, establish negligence, and support the claim.
What Do You Need to Get an Accident Report From BuyCrash?
When trying to obtain a truck accident report from BuyCrash, you will need to key in information such as:
- The report number
- City or town
- Date of the crash
- Name of the driver involved
- Name of responding law enforcement agency
- County
- Requestor’s phone number and email address (if online)
- State, if obtaining the report online
- Requestor’s name and address
Allow at least five or more business days before getting the report from the website. Once you have a copy of the report, you should consider meeting with an Indiana truck accident lawyer and discussing your legal options for claiming compensation.
Why Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer?
Apart from the accident report, you need other information and evidence to support your claim and ensure maximum compensation. Truck accident lawyers can gather this for you while you continue focusing on your recovery. Your lawyer will also advise you on what to do after the crash and how to protect your claim.
Since dealing with insurance companies, valuing a claim, and negotiating a fair settlement is challenging, it can be beneficial to work with a lawyer who knows the state laws and how to handle insurance companies. Your lawyer will ensure that you file the claim as per the statute of limitations and protect your rights for fair compensation.
