How to Get a Police Report for a Boat Accident in Lee County, FL
Alerting the police following boat accidents is of the utmost importance. The reports law enforcement officers create regarding such incidents can be useful to victims when seeking compensation in Lee County.
In order to eventually get an incident report for a boat accident, you have to report your recent incident to law enforcement officials in Lee County. Do this immediately after the accident takes place. Within several days of reporting your accident, the finalized report should be ready. Depending on the local law enforcement agency that completed your report, you might be able to retrieve it in person, by mail, or online. The sooner you get this report, the better. Our lawyers can refer to the information within the police report when building your case. Though not admissible in boat accident claims, police reports can house crucial details about an accident and its cause.
Call our Florida boat accident attorneys at (305) 204-5369 to have the team at Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind, P.A. review your case for free.
Steps Involved in Getting Police Reports for Boat Accidents in Lee County, FL
Lee County borders several popular waterways for recreational and commercial boating, including the Caloosahatchee River, the Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve, and San Carlos Bay, to name a few. If you are hurt during an incident on a boat, you must call law enforcement to get an accident report.
Reporting an Accident
Any boating accident that results in injury, death, or disappearance must be reported to the authorities in Lee County. Victims can either make a written report with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee or their local police department. If you require compensation for your injuries and a negligent party is to blame, our Ft. Lauderdale boat accident attorneys may advise you to report your accident to the police. When you do this, police officers can create an incident report that contains all pertinent information regarding your accident and injuries. Reporting boat accidents is often required by law.
Obtaining a Report
Once you have reported your accident to the local authorities in Lee County, you should expect to wait several business days before obtaining the finalized report. Accident reports typically come with small fees. Depending on the law enforcement agency you reported your accident to, you might be able to obtain your report online, in person, or by mail. If you will be in the hospital for several days following your accident and cannot get the report yourself, our attorneys can do so on your behalf.
Reasons to Get Police Reports for Lee County, FL Boat Accidents
Generally speaking, police reports are inadmissible in injury lawsuits in Lee County. That does not mean, however, that the report for your recent boat accident will be useless to your compensation claim.
Police reports contain information and details that can help our attorneys gain a deeper insight into the events leading up to a boat accident. For example, officers may note the overall cause of the accident and any possible contributing factors. Names of eyewitnesses might be included in a report, allowing our attorneys to contact them to get their statements more easily. Law enforcement officers will interview all those involved in an accident and include their personal impressions and observations with an incident report.
Furthermore, police reports can help fill in the gaps for victims. For example, if you fell overboard and sustained a head injury, you might not immediately remember the events preceding your accident. The information within the police report can help to jog your memory and provide our lawyers with the foundational information necessary to start building your case while you are in the hospital. Do not underestimate the importance of reporting your accident to the police in Lee County, as doing so could ultimately be the difference between recovering compensation for your injuries or not.
Can You File a Police Report Days After a Boat Accident in Lee County, FL?
In Lee County, those involved in boating accidents are responsible for reporting such incidents to the necessary agencies as soon as possible. If you do not call law enforcement immediately and instead report an incident in the following days, you might jeopardize your case.
Although reports from law enforcement are not admissible in boat accident claims in Lee County, that does not mean victims should delay reporting such incidents. First of all, reporting certain boat accidents is required by law, and failure to report could result in consequences, even for victims. Second, failure to report your accident could make it challenging to clearly connect your injuries and damages to the negligence of another party. Police reports serve as documentation of an accident. Without these reports, there might be little to no proof that a boat accident ever occurred.
Still, reporting boat accidents after the fact is better than not reporting them at all. Our lawyers can help you compile the necessary information about your incident for law enforcement so that there is proper documentation of the fact that your boat accident that took place in Lee County.
When Should You Get a Lee County, FL Boat Accident Report?
Do not wait to get the incident report for your recent boat accident. The longer you wait, the longer it might take for you to build a strong case for compensation in Lee County.
You should get the incident report for your recent boat accident as soon as it becomes available. You can regularly contact the law enforcement agency that completed your report to see if it is ready for retrieval. Once our attorneys have your police report, we can refer to it and use it as a way to uncover additional evidence of fault against a negligent party.
Call Our Lee County, FL Lawyers About Your Case Today
You can call Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind, P.A. at (305) 204-5369 to discuss your case for free with our Gulf Coast, FL boat accident attorneys.
