How to Get a Traffic Accident Report in Portland

After a car accident, you have the right to collect compensation for your injuries if another driver was responsible for your injuries. To accomplish this, you will need to file an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. Regardless of which pathway you choose, you will need to collect sufficient evidence to prove the at-fault driver’s negligence.

One of the most important pieces of evidence will be the traffic accident report that the responding police officer completes after attending to your collision.

What Is a Traffic Accident Report?

During a car collision, events happen quickly, and it can be difficult to determine the cause of the accident. This is why one of the first steps you should take after an accident is to call 911 — not only will this help you comply with Oregon’s car accident reporting requirements, but it will bring an officer to the scene who can create a traffic accident report. At the scene of the crash, the officer will interview you and the other driver about the events surrounding the accident.

He or she will then use this information to compile a traffic accident report, which includes the information of all drivers involved, a description of the accident site, and an identifying case number. This report will be a significant piece of evidence for your insurance claim or lawsuit. Speak to our Portland car accident attorney, Aaron Tillmann if you have more questions regarding an accident report or lack of having one.

Finding Your Report After a Collision

To obtain a Portland traffic accident report, you will need to request a copy via mail from the Portland Police Records Division. You will need to pay a $10 fee to access the first 5 pages of the report, and an additional $2 per page after that threshold.

Your report may not be available to access until 2 to 5 business days following the collision, but it is important to request your report as soon as possible. It can take up to 3 weeks to receive your accident report in the mail.

How an Accident Report Can Help Your Claim

You do not need to file a police report to proceed with an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. However, failure to report the accident to law enforcement may harm your credibility, and could violate Oregon’s reporting requirements. In addition, having an accident report can benefit your claim in a number of ways.

• Traffic accident reports can help expedite the insurance claims process, since the adjuster does not have to locate the report himself or herself and can read about the details of the accident in one place.
• Having a detailed account of the events surrounding the accident can help prove your right to compensation. An accident report can support your argument that the at-fault driver was negligent at the time of the crash.
• If your case proceeds to the lawsuit stage, the accident report will be a foundational piece of evidence. Your attorney can use it to support his or her negligence claims, identify witnesses, and reach out to accident reconstruction experts.

Contact Tillmann Law for a Free Consultation

If you have recently suffered injuries in a Portland car accident, it is important to file your insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit as soon as possible. In these situations, Tillmann Law can help. Our Portland personal injury attorney will help you understand your legal options and identify which pathway is best for your case.

We will also collect all pieces of evidence we could use in your claim, including traffic accident reports, witness testimony, and medical records. Contact Tillmann Law today to schedule your free consultation and discuss your next steps.

Contact Our Car Accident Attorneys in Portland, OR – Tillmann Law Personal Injury Lawyers

If you were injured in an accident in Portland, OR, please contact our Portland car accident lawyers at Tillmann Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today.

Tillmann Law Personal Injury Lawyers
101 SW Main St. #1905
Portland, OR, 97204
(503) 272-8986
Open 24/7