If you were involved in a car accident in Birmingham, you would likely need to report it to the Birmingham Police Department. Police reports are typically necessary for insurance claims and lawsuits.
Car accident victims might not know what procedures to follow to obtain a copy of their police report. Fortunately, a police report can be obtained directly from the Birmingham Police Department. A person’s police report can be purchased online, in person, or by mail. The information in a car accident police report is critical and will be important for gathering further evidence for a lawsuit.
If you need to get a police report for a car accident in Birmingham, our Birmingham car accident lawyers can help you obtain a copy to get the compensation you deserve. For a free case review, contact Howe Law today at (844) 876-4357.
How Do I Get a Copy of My Police Report for a Car Accident in Birmingham, AL?
Getting your police report after a car accident in Birmingham is fairly straightforward. Alabama requires car accidents involving injury or death to be reported to law enforcement officers, who will create an accident police report based on the information they gather. If the Birmingham Police Department (BPD) responded to your car accident, you could obtain a copy of your car accident police report directly from the BPD.
Fortunately, the BPD’s Records Division provides several methods for car accident victims to collect a copy of their police report. Our Birmingham car accident lawyers can help you contact BPD in whatever method is most convenient for you.
Online
The fastest way to obtain your car accident police report in Birmingham is to request it online through the Birmingham Police Department website. You can complete a public records request form from the BPD website portal to begin processing your request. Also, a Birmingham police report for a car accident costs $5 per copy. To successfully submit your request, you will need to provide several pieces of information:
- Names of the drivers involved
- Location where the accident occurred
- Date of the accident
- Accident case number
However, police reports are not immediately available after an accident. Some reports might not be available for several days following an accident, while others could take weeks before being available. Before ordering your police report, contact the BPD Records Division at 205-254-6308 to make sure your police report has been recorded.
In Person
If it is more convenient, you can collect a copy of your Birmingham car accident police report in person. You can do this by simply visiting the Birmingham Police Department Headquarters at 1710 1st Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203. Just as it is online, it will cost $5 to obtain a copy of your report.
By Mail
You can also elect to receive your police report by mail. To get a police report by mail from the Birmingham Police Department, you will need to mail a certified check or money order for $5 and include identifying information about your accident and a return address to which the report can be mailed. The request-by-mail can be sent to BPD headquarters at the address listed above. Our Alabama car accident lawyers can help you prepare your request, so there are no delays in getting your police report.
What Information is Contained in a Birmingham, AL Car Accident Police Report?
Birmingham car accident police reports will have several sections, each providing important information regarding an accident. The information in the police report will be vital to recovering additional evidence in a later car accident lawsuit. Our Birmingham car accident lawyers can help you understand the details of your police report and how it can help your case.
Header Information
At the top of a Birmingham police report will be the main header detailing pertinent information regarding a car accident. The information in the header includes how many vehicles were involved, the make and model of the vehicles, whether there were injuries or fatalities, and the case report number.
Time and Location
The following section is where officers will record the time and date of the accident and the location where it occurred. Officers will also indicate the circumstances that caused the accidents and determine who was mainly at fault in this section.
Car One Information
This section is very important since it will contain identifying information about the first driver involved in the accident. Officers will record the driver’s name, address, driver’s license number, and insurance information. Officers will also indicate the driver’s condition in this section, noting if they were impaired when the accident occurred.
This section will also contain information about the driver’s vehicle, including if it was damaged. If a citation is issued to the driver, it will be noted in this section.
Car Two Information
The same information above will also be recorded for the other driver in the accident. Additional sections should detail each driver’s identifying information if a car accident involves multiple cars.
Seating Positions
If passengers or pedestrians were involved in a Birmingham car accident, their information would be recorded by police in the seating position section. This section could help identify potential witnesses in your case later.
Injury Information
The victim information section is one of the most important sections in a Birmingham car accident police report. This section lists all the victims injured in the accident. It also includes information about the victim’s involvement in an accident and if emergency medical services transported them for emergency treatment.
Officer Narratives and Diagrams
This section will have a box where an officer has diagramed an accident based on the information provided. The diagram is typically accompanied by an officer’s narrative describing what the diagram purports to show. Our Birmingham personal injury lawyers can help you if you are having issues interpreting your police report.
Our Birmingham, AL Car Accident Lawyers Can Help
If you were in a Birmingham car accident and need to get a copy of your police report, our Alabama personal injury lawyers can assist with that and your further recovery efforts. Call Howe Law at (844) 876-4357 for a free case assessment.
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