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After a car crash in Alabama, the police officer’s official accident report (called the Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report) becomes a key piece of evidence in your case. Insurance companies use the report to determine fault for the crash, and if the investigating officer is called upon to testify in a deposition or at trial, the report will likely form the basis for their testimony.
It’s critical that you understand what your crash report says and, if anything in it is inaccurate, how to correct the record.
Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report
https://one.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/stateCatalog/states/al/docs/AL_PAR_06-08.pdf
Page 1
The top of the first page gives an overview of the accident, including the number of vehicles, injuries and fatalities, as well as the location and time of the crash. Remember, not all injuries are immediately obvious, so the number of injuries listed is not the final word.
Click here to download a printable PDF of Reading Your Alabama Car Accident Report.
The unit sections describe the driver of each involved vehicle and the vehicle itself. Pay attention to the officer’s notes on driver impairment and citations charged, both of which could affect fault for the accident.
Page 2
The seating position codes describe where individual people were located at the time of the crash.
The “victims” section includes contact information for people involved in the accident, including whether they were injured or killed and where they received treatment.
Page 3
The investigating officer documents their understanding of what happened in a pictorial diagram and written narrative.
This section may include information not found elsewhere in the report, so read it carefully.
The Roadway Environment section includes information on the road surface, lighting, visibility, and whether the accident took place in a work zone. This can be critical to establish that a motorist may have been driving too fast for the conditions.
Page 4
The “Investigation” section documents when the police and emergency services arrived on the scene. Remember that the investigating officer often arrives well after the crash occurs.
Truck/Bus Supplemental Sheet
This additional page is used if a truck or commercial vehicle was involved in the wreck.
Key information on this page includes the vehicles weight rating and hazardous material involvement, both of which can affect liability.
Contact information for the motor carrier is listed here, which is important if the company is a defendant in a lawsuit.
