It's important to get a copy of the police report as soon as possible. How soon you can do that will depend on which police department investigated the accident. In the DC area, there are many different police departments: city, county, state and federal. Each department has its own procedures and time-frame for releasing a copy of the accident report.
The police report contains information about the other driver and witnesses, traffic charges and vehicle registration and insurance information. All of this is important to us when we investigate your case.
The police report itself isn't evidence, however. It contains inadmissible hearsay and opinions, and the Courts exclude it from evidence. Nonetheless, it's an important document because it contains a lot of information from which we can obtain evidence that is legally admissible in Court.
Getting the police report and investigating the information in the report is a first priority. We usually get a copy of the report for you, which allows you to spend your time and energy on seeing the doctor and getting better.
To help us get the police report faster, ask for the police officer's business card at the scene before you leave or are taken away by ambulance.